Genderbent
by Darth Tabby
Summary: Ever wondered how FMP would be different if Sousuke were a girl? Some revisions made March 5, 2008.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer

Full Metal Panic! and its associated characters do not belong to me. Full Metal Panic! is copyright Shoji Gatoh.

Foreword (Revised)

The idea for this fic actually came from reading another piece of FMP fanfiction, specifically dave-d's excellent _Truth or Dare_, in which Sousuke ended up as the only guy at what was supposed to be an all girl's slumber party. The events in that story got me thinking about how FMP would be different if Sousuke were a girl. That was the seed of this story. In time, the issues at play in this fic became more complex then simply switching the gender of one character. Many changes were required, some minor, some major. Souko's history, for instance, differs from Sousuke's in that her guerrilla years were spent in Yugoslavia (which now has an FMP-esque alternate history), not Afghanistan as in the novels or Helmajistan as in the anime.

Since I am not all knowing and I sometimes need some help coming up with ideas I may occasionally ask questions of readers. Reader input has been a great help to me on this fic. I'd like to take a moment to thank people who contributed knowledge and/or ideas to this story, particularly Greydon Creed, who made a very significant contribution to the development of Souko's history. If you would like to discuss an idea or a piece of information with me, I can be contacted by private messenger or by the email address in my profile (I appreciate reviews, but the review system is of limited utility for back and forth discussions).

I do make errors on occasion due to limited knowledge but some of the changes I've made from the source material were quite deliberate. Sometimes these changes are made because of realism issues I perceived and sometimes they are simply a matter of personal preference (this is a different FMP from the canonical one –why not make a few changes?). I also have a bit of a tendency to go back and edit previous chapters in my work, although the changes tend to be minor enough that they don't require re-reading previous chapters.

Anyway, I hope you people enjoy this!

-Darthtabby, March 5, 2008

Prologue 

Lt. Commander Andrei Kalinin's ready room aboard the Tuatha De Danaan was –by submarine standards- exceptionally large, though by most people's standards it would have been considered small and cramped. The Lt. Commander himself –a formidable looking man with grey hair, an ex-Spetnaz soldier- was seated behind a cluttered desk, waiting. He'd summoned his subordinates several minutes before, and could hear sounds of their approach through the submarine's bulkheads.

"I said you're an exemplary officer, Major!" came the voice of Sgt. Kurz Weber. He sounded like he was in pain. That would not be unusual for the young sniper, as he had a tendency to get on the nerves of his direct superior, one Sgt. Major Melissa Mao.

Andrei sighed and composed his features, placing a few papers on his desk. He did not approve of Mao and Weber's constant feuding, but he'd long since given up trying to do anything about it.

_I wonder what happened this time._

There was a knock on the ready room door.

"Come in," Andrei said in response. Almost immediately the door swung open and Mao stepped in, followed by her two subordinates. The three of them quickly formed a line and stood at attention.

"Sergeant Major Mao, Sergeant Weber, and Sergeant Sagara reporting for duty, sir!" Mao reported, saluting.

Andrei surveyed the three soldiers from left to right. A sassy looking twenty-something woman of Chinese descent, a slightly younger pretty boy sniper with blonde hair, and a tall, athletic looking Japanese girl of perhaps about sixteen or seventeen, her moderately long hair kept well out of her face by the rather utilitarian braid that ran a short ways down her back. She had a scar on one cheek, but might still have been pretty had she worn a less serious expression.

Andrei nodded to Mao.

"At ease, Sergeant Major."

He waited a moment for the group to relax, then handed Mao a clipboard.

"This is your next assignment."

Mao took the clipboard from Andrei and began to study it as Kurz crowded in, his interest piqued by the photograph attached to it.

"Hmmm… Kaname Chidori…"

The long-haired sniper slipped the photograph off the clipboard.

"Whoo. She'd going to be quite a looker in a few years."

Andrei sighed. He'd sometimes wondered how a playboy like Kurz had ever managed to become an integral part of a fireteam whose only other members were two no-nonsense female warriors. The three of them worked well together on the battlefield, but their off duty relations were somewhat less than smooth.

"That picture is four years old. She's sixteen now."

Kurz whistled.

"Do you have a picture of that version?" he asked. Andrei shook his head.

"I could get one, but that's not important. What's important is the mission ahead. We believe that someone –possibly the KGB- may try to kidnap Ms. Chidori. That's why we're assigning the three of you to protect her."

He looked straight at Kurz.

"Naturally, this mission is highly secretive in nature, which means that the Japanese government is to not to know that you're guarding Ms. Chidori. Nor is Ms. Chidori herself."

The annoyed look that spread across Kurz's face let Andrei know he'd gotten his point across. Thankfully, the blonde Sergeant was quick to get back to business.

"Do you think we'll be able to handle this with just the three of us?" he asked.

"You'll have to," Andrei replied. He turned to Mao.

"We've already managed to smuggle one M-9 into Tokyo. It doesn't have much in the way of ordinance, but it should be more then adequate for dealing with the sort of threats you are likely to encounter."

Mao nodded, and Andrei continued.

"You three are to gather whatever additional equipment you'll need, then report to the hangar bay five hours from now. You'll need to obtain proper documents before then as well."

Souko, Mao's younger subordinate, looked surprised.

"Documents sir? What sort of documents?"

Andrei couldn't help but smile at the young soldier.

"Why, your transfer notification, of course. You can't enroll in Ms. Chidori's school without it."

Even Andrei felt guiltily amused by the shocked expression that suddenly appeared on Souko's face.

XXXX

The meeting in Kalinin's ready room was followed by a brief burst of activity, and it was more then two hours before Mao's group reconvened. An additional fifteen minutes found Souko seated in front of a cluttered table as Mao worked with her hair.

"Well?" the Sergeant Major asked as she finished tying a red ribbon around the lower part of Souko's braid, just above the thick knot that formed the end of it. Her young subordinate picked a small hand mirror and studied herself carefully.

"It look like it could give away my position during a fight," she replied critically, "and it's too small to make an effective blindfold or bandage." Mao chuckled.

"Yes, but it does make you look cute. And that's kind of important. We're trying to make you look like an innocent little school girl, not a big, tough soldier."

The sergeant major shrugged her shoulders.

"Try thinking of this ribbon and your make up as a form of camouflage. The only real difference between this and the sort of stuff you usually wear in the field is that one is meant to blend in with terrain and the other is meant to blend in with people."

Souko nodded.

"I see."

The young sergeant finished adjusting the inner thigh holster she had acquired for her Sig P228 compact pistol and pulled the skirt that was part of her new school uniform down over it. Kurz, who was setting up a camera, would have watched as she did that had Mao not been giving him a warning glare.

"Hey Souko, has anyone ever told you that you have nice legs?" he asked when it was safe for him to look again. Mao snorted.

"Stuff it, old man. She's way too young for you –as is Ms. Chidori."

Kurz looked indignant.

"I don't need to be called 'old man' by a women who's a year older then me! What would you think if I called you an old hag?"

"I'd think you were asking for trouble," Mao replied bluntly. She turned to Souko.

"Does it fit?" she asked.

Souko nodded.

"It fits almost perfectly. It's a little snug for fast draws, but it should loosen a little with use. It is a very well made accessory."

Mao laughed.

"You know Souko, most girls use the term 'accessory' to refer to earrings."

Souko blinked.

"They do? I'll have to remember that. Are dog tags also considered an accessory?"

Mao shook her head.

"Um, no. In fact, most girls don't have dog tags, so its probably best if you don't wear them. Of course, I guess you already knew that, seeing as this is a covert operation…"

Souko nodded.

"Of course."

The young sergeant looked at the items spread out on the table in front of her. They included CDs, magazines, a music player, and several other devices.

"What are these for?" she asked.

Mao shrugged.

"These are things we figure most Japanese girls have. We gathered them from all over the ship."

Kurz grinned.

"The condoms were my own addition."

Mao slapped Kurz, then snorted humorously.

"Heh. I doubt Souko even knows what those are for."

Souko shrugged.

"Of course I know what they're for. I've used one before."

Mao looked shocked.

"You have?"

The Sergeant Major might have been joking when she suggested her subordinate didn't know what a condom was for, but that didn't mean she'd expected the young soldier to have actually _used_ one of the things. For her part, Souko just nodded her head and explained the situation in the spectacularly –and unintentionally- deceptive manner that only she could manage.

"Yes. Sergeant Weber showed me how six months ago during Operation Shrike."

Mao was staring at Kurz before Souko had even finished speaking, her mouth hanging open in shock. The sniper started raising his hands to try to supplicate her, but the Sergeant Major exploded before he could speak

"How could you!" she demanded. "How could you do something like that?"

Weber held his hands in front of him as Mao's anger mounted.

"Melissa, it isn't what you thi –oof!"

He keeled over as Mao hit him hard in the groin.

"I can't believe you did that!" she screamed, "I can't believe you could exploit Souko like that! How dare you? I'll have you court martialed Weber! Do you hear me? I'll have you f---ing court martialed!"

Souko watched her squadmates' argument with confusion.

"Sergeant Major, what's wrong? Sergeant Weber's suggestion probably saved both our lives after we lost our water bottles."

Mao paused for a moment as she digested Souko's words. Now she was the one who looked confused.

"Lost your water bottles?" she asked questioningly.

Souko nodded.

"Yes, Sergeant Weber and I used his condoms to carry water after we lost our water bottles."

The young sergeant eyed her superior quizzically.

"What did you think I meant?"

Mao grimaced.

'Well, um…" 

A faint look of comprehension spread across Souko's face.

"Oh. You mean the other use for condoms."

Mao actually blushed at that.

"Yeah… the _other_ one…"

A very long, very awkward silence followed, one which was finally broken by a polite cough from Kurz.

"I believe you owe me an apology," he informed Mao. The Sergeant Major sighed as she realised her subordinate was right.

"Yeah, I suppose I do. Sorry, Weber. I guess I jumped to conclusions there."

Kurz grinned.

"It's quiet all right."

The grin became a leer as the volume of his voice dropped to a whisper.

"Especially if you kiss it to make it better."

This time Mao's kick for the groin obviously wasn't meant to be serious. If it had been she wouldn't have given Kurz a chance to get away.

XXXX

The Tuatha De Danaan surfaced near the Japanese Coast late in the evening, when the darkness was able to hide its massive form from sight. In the assault submarine's hangar bay, preparations were made for the departure of one of the big craft's MH-60 Knighthawk multirole helicopters.

High up on one of the walkways that rimmed the huge room, two girls watched as maintenance teams scurried about among the fleet of helicopters and S/VTOL fighters that made up the De Danaan's formidable air wing. One of these girls was Souko, who was once again dressed in her usual SRT uniform. The other was the De Danaan's Captain, the similarly aged Teletha 'Tessa' Testarossa, who was fidgeting with her braid of platinum-blonde hair.

"Do you think you'll be alright?" Tessa asked as the Stormhawk was rolled across the hangar bay floor toward an elevator. Souko nodded.

"I'll have to be alert for enemies, but the mission environment itself is supposed to be relatively safe. It is probably much less dangerous then the regions most of my missions take place in."

Tessa chuckled at Souko's words. It was odd what sort of things made her worry about the other girl's well being. She could send Souko into the middle of a raging warzone without too much concern, but sending her to a high school in Japan –a very peaceful country– made her nervous.

_I can't help but think she'll have trouble with this assignment. I don't think she'll be able to fit in._

"That's not really what I'm worried about."

"Then what are you worried about, Captain?" Souko asked.

Tessa was at a loss for words.

"I'm worried… I'm worried that… well, I'm worried that the people at that high school may hurt you."

Souko blinked.

"You really think so? I would not have considered the people at the high school to be much of a threat, but if you believe they are, then I will treat them accordingly."

Tessa shook her head quickly. She knew what Souko probably meant by "treat them accordingly."

"No, no!" she blushed, "I didn't mean that. Forget I said anything."

Souko nodded.

"Alright."

There was silence for a few moments before Tessa spoke up again.

"Do you remember all that seemingly useless stuff I've talked to you about when we've been off duty together?"

Despite the fact that they had almost nothing in common, Tessa spent a considerable amount of time talking to Souko. The other girl was, after all, the only person her age on the ship, and also one of the few females. That made her friendship invaluable, no matter how odd she was.

_I'm going to miss her,_ Tessa thought, thinking about how long Souko might be gone. The mission to guard Kaname Chidori had no set end date. She might be gone for weeks. Maybe even months. Probably not years, but one never knew with this sort of thing.

_I wish I could tell her what this was all about,_ Tessa thought, thinking of why Souko had been assigned to guard Kaname. Unfortunately, she wasn't authorised to do that. Her only condolence was that Souko would probably understand. She knew the importance of keeping classified information secret.

_Still, it seems wrong to ask someone to do something without telling them why._

Souko looked at Tessa.

"That so called 'small talk'? A little. What about it?"

Tessa blinked as she attempted to clear her head.

"Try to remember as much of it as possible. You may find it useful when communicating with civilians."

Souko nodded.

"All right. I'll try to do that."

Tessa nodded in return.

"Thank you."

She fiddled with her braid.

_I hope you don't have too many problems, Souko. I know Kalinin thinks this will be a good experience for you, but I feel like I'm sending a lamb into the middle of a pack of wolves._

One of Souko's bags caught her eye

_Although perhaps I should think of it as being the other way around,_ she though wryly, thinking of what that bag might contain. On the hangar deck below, Mao turned to look up at the pair.

"Hey Souko, can you give us a hand with loading some of this gear?"

Souko saluted.

"Affirmative!"

The young soldier picked up her bags and turned to Tessa.

"Goodbye, Souko," the De Danaan's Captain said softly. Souko raised her hand in a formal salute.

"Goodbye, Captain."

She turned and walked towards one of the staircases that led down to the deck where her squadmates were waiting. It only took a few minutes to load the gear aboard the helicopter. It was not long before the elevator the Knighthawk was sitting on began to rise towards the flight deck, where the chopper would be hidden from sight. Tessa watched until it disappeared, then –after sighing and fiddling with her braid- she left the hangar bay.


	2. The Girl From MITHRIL

Disclaimer

Full Metal Panic! and its associated characters do not belong to me. Full Metal Panic! is copyright Shoji Gatoh.

Note

I suspect the listing of the Suppin Girls as a favourite band by Souko wouldn't have quite the same effect for her as it did from Sousuke. However, I'm not entirely sure what to substitute, hence why I kept them. If any of you have any ideas that you think would fit better, please let me know!

Chapter One:  
The Girl From MITHRIL

Despite the building's name, Suite 505 of the Tiger's Mansion apartment building was fairly typical of the apartments in Tokyo's Chofu district. It was the sort of apartment one could well imagine a typical Japanese family living in –or rather, it had been until the night of Mao, Kurz, and Souko's arrival. Now it was anything _but_the residence of a typical Japanese family. True, the place didn't quite look like an army barracks, but it was a pretty close approximation, with radios, surveillance equipment, and an arsenal of military grade weapons scattered about its interior.

"Hey Kurz, just how long do you intend to shower for?" Mao demanded as she banged her fist against the bathroom door. Between the late night equipment set-up and the early morning wake up call, the fiery Sergeant Major had gotten very little sleep, and while she was alert, she was also rather irritable.

"I'll just be a little longer!" Kurz called as he applied a rather large quantity of shampoo to his hair.

"That's what you said five minutes ago, you jerk!" Mao shot back. Sighing, she made her way over to the bag that held the rations they had brought from the De Danaan and selected a "Chicken In Thai Style Sauce" MRE. Scowling, she made her way over to the table that mounted the squad's surveillance equipment and opened the package.

_I have got to go grocery shopping sometime soon,_ the Sergeant Major thought to herself as she activated the MRE's flameless heater. _I can live a few days on these things if I have to, but I'd really prefer not to if I can avoid it._

As she waited for the hot pack to warm up her food, Mao looked to Souko, who was performing maintenance on a field stripped Sites Spectre submachine gun.

"Hey Souko, have you eaten yet?" she asked. Souko nodded.

"I have. I did that first thing after showering, as it is not a good idea to eat right before commencing a mission."

Mao nodded her head. She should have known better then to underestimate Souko's foresight on a matter like that.

"Good. I wouldn't want you to start skipping breakfast. That's a bad habit for someone your age to get into."

Souko didn't give much of a reply, as she was giving a lot of her concentration to the Spectre –not surprising really, considering that she'd just taken the submachine gun from the De Danaan's Armoury the night before. It was not yet as familiar to her as her Sig Sauers or the Steyr AUG she usually carried in the field.

Without much else to do while she waited for her MRE to warm up, Mao put on the headset for the surveillance equipment and began to listen in. There was little noise for the first few minutes, then she heard the sound of a rather odd alarm clock and the associated mumbling of a rather sleepy teenager.

_I remember those days,_ she thought to herself as she listened in. She grinned as she heard an angry curse on the headset.

"I believe our angel just stubbed her toe," she told Souko. It was at that moment that a half-dressed Kurz emerged from the shower with a rather satisfied looking smile on his face. His hair looked like it belonged in a fashion magazine.

"Well, look who's finally done with the shower. Did you get your beauty sleep, Sergeant Weber?"

Kurz nodded happily.

"Yes, I slept very well last night. I had a dream about you. That might have been part of the reason."

Mao grimaced and quickly raised her hand.

"Don't want to hear about it!"

Kurz grinned.

"You sure? It was a very good dream..."

"I said I didn't want to hear about it!"

Mao's voice made it clear that she was in a foul mood. Kurz eyed her warily.

"Wow, you're really cheerful this morning, aren't you sis? It is that time of the month or something?"

If looks could kill, Kurz would have been a dead man as Mao rose from her chair and took off the headset. Fixing her subordinate with a gaze that made it clear playtime was over, Mao pointed to the room Kurz's cot was in.

"Kurz. Walk in there. Put a shirt on. Get yourself ready to go. Now."

Kurz's gulp made it clear that he knew he was treading on dangerous ground.

"Yes Sergeant Major!"

With that, he practically _bolted_ into his quarters. Mao glared after him for a few seconds, then sat back down and started listening to the headset again.

"Jerk," she spat. Souko looked at her commanding officer for a few seconds, then went back to her work.

When Kurz finally emerged from his abode he was dressed in a casual manner, but it was clear that he'd spent a lot of time selecting his outfit. In fact, that would have been obvious to his squadmates even had they not been keeping an eye on the time.

"Well well well," Mao declared with a raised eyebrow, "Planning on trying to pick up the ladies in your invisible Arm Slave?" Kurz winked.

"It never hurts to be prepared," he said with a grin. As he spoke, he lifted a certain packaged object from his pocket, which caused Mao to shake her head.

"Your disgusting."

Kurz's grin widened.

"Never said I wasn't, Sis.'"

Mao sighed and turned her attention back to the headset.

"Okay, sounds like she just finished showering. You might want to get a move on, Kurz."

Kurz blinked.

"Now? But I haven't eaten breakfast yet!"

Mao shrugged as she made her way over to the rations bag.

"You shouldn't have spent so much time on your appearance then. Here."

She removed two MREs from the bag and tossed them to her subordinate.

"These will last you the day. And remember to take plenty of water."

Kurz caught the MREs and nodded before moving on to the other preparations. Mao smiled. She'd just gotten rid of both of the "Meatloaf with Gravy" MREs, which she hated.

_I just hope he doesn't notice,_ she thought to herself as Kurz packed his gear. Returning to the duty at hand, the Sergeant Major called out to her other subordinate as she listened to the headset.

"Hey Souko, you ready to go yet?"

She was answered by a distinctive clinking sound. Souko had just inserted a thirty round magazine into her submachine gun.

"I just need to pack my book bag. Do you want me to stand by in the lobby when I'm done?"

Mao shook her head.

"We can give it a few minutes. Angel just finished her shower. She probably needs to get breakfast."

Souko nodded.

"Alright."

Time went by quite quickly after that. Souko finished packing her bag. Kurz checked his rifle and loaded it into it's carrying case, then dashed out of the building, running to reach the M9 before things got underway. Kaname finished her breakfast and gathered her things for school. Kurz reported that he was ready to go at almost the exact same moment that Mao ordered Souko to leave.

"Uruz 6 to Uruz 2, all systems are go. Requesting permission to begin shadowing the target."

Mao nodded.

"Permission granted, Uruz 6. Report to Waypoint Alpha and commence following the target as soon as she appears."

On the headset, the sound of Kaname making ready to leave came through.

"Hey Souko, she's moving. Get out there!"

Mao was answered by a call of "Aye, ma'am!" just before the door slammed shut.

XXXX

Sixteen year old Kaname Chidori would never make it as a super model, but she was still a remarkably attractive young women. Despite being a bit taller then average and rather busty, she somehow managed to give the impression of a traditional Japanese beauty as she walked down the street, her waist length black hair swaying slightly behind her as she did so. Interestingly enough, her long locks appeared to be gathered together near their ends by a red ribbon very similar to the one that Mao had given Souko for her hair the night before. Kurz chose to see this as a good omen.

_Maybe they'll become good friends,_ the blonde sniper thought to himself as he watched Kaname from the cockpit of his ECS shrouded M9. He was supposed to be keeping an eye out for threats to the young schoolgirl, but at that moment he was more intent on studying his charge then he was on studying her surroundings..

"Now that's the sort of sailor's uniform the ladies on the De Danaan should wear!" he declared, as he gazed appreciatively at Kaname's uniformed figure. She looked so cute…

"If I had to wear one of those on duty, then I'd quit," Mao said frankly, apparently none too keen on spoiling her tough girl image.

"I agree," Souko chimed in, "This uniform is impractical for field work. It's too exposed and the colour scheme is too visible."

Kurz shook his head.

_And I thought I was lucky when I was assigned to a fireteam with two women. Unfortunately, neither of them has a sense of humour –or good taste in men._

Kurz continued to watch Kaname as she walked, drinking in the sight of her. She seemed truly worthy of the codename 'Angel' –or rather, she did until she had to speak to someone.

"Hey, Kana-chan!" a cute looking pigtailed girl with glasses called out as she ran toward her friend, "Wait up!"

Kaname turned to face the cheerful newcomer. She looked at the other girl for a moment, then squeezed her hand into a fist.

"Kyouko, what the heck was with that guy you set me up with last night?" she demanded. "He kept going on and on about how well connected he was, how his father is a fashion designer and his friend is a soccer player or something. He was the most shallow person I have _ever_ met. He couldn't hold an intelligent conversation if his life depended on it."

Kyouko pursed her lips.

"Hmmm… I guess you're right."

Kaname glared at her friend.

"What are you saying Kyouko? _You_ were the one that suggested I go out with him."

Kyouko shrugged, her cheerfulness not waning one bit.

"I just did that because I was asked."

Kaname sighed.

"I see. And if someone asks you to sell me to a foreign country, will you do that too?"

Kyouko shrugged again, her cheerfulness unfazed.

"I'll have to think about it," she replied. Kaname shook her head and sighed.

"Good lord Kyouko, what am I supposed to do with you?"

"I don't know, what are you supposed to do with me?"

Kaname shook her head and sighed.

It was at about that moment, or perhaps a few moments before, that Souko entered the school grounds. She quickly caught Kyouko's attention.

"Hey Kana-chan, have you seen that girl before?"

Kaname looked up at Souko and shook her head. She didn't keep track of all the girls at Jindai high, but she was pretty sure she'd have noticed if she'd seen this one before. She was taller then average by several inches, and she had a rather visible scar on her cheek, as well as a lean build. There was something about her that made Kaname suspect that she was quite athletic.

"I don't think so. She might be new."

Kyouko nodded.

"That's what I thought."

She snapped a picture of Souko, which caused the young soldier to look over at her. She'd already been concerned by Kyouko's words about the possibility of selling Kaname to a foreign country, now the girl was taking photographs of her as well?

_I wonder if she's an enemy agent._

It was at that moment Chishou Okamura, one of the older and bolder boys at the school, put his arm around Souko's shoulder.

"Why hello there-"

He never got a chance to add "are you new here?" The instant Souko felt the overly friendly boy's hand on her shoulder, alarm bells went off in her head. What happened next was a blur.

To the students standing around on the pavement, things seemed to happen almost instantaneously. One moment Chishou was putting his arm over Souko's shoulder, the next he was lying on his back in front of her, the dot from her Spectre's laser sight positioned right in the middle of his forehead.

"Oh my god!" came a cry from one of the students. Kaname stared. Kyouko snapped another photograph.

"Who are you?" Souko demanded as she aimed down at Chishou. "What do you want?"

Chishou raised his hands.

"Nothing! I was just being friendly…"

He wasn't entirely sure whether or not Souko's gun was real, but he was quite sure he'd just been thrown to the ground with bone-jarring force. He was in considerable pain and was also quite sure he didn't want this girl –no, this _psychopath_- to cause him any additional injuries.

"Alright, that's enough!" a voice called out from the school entrance. Striding towards the altercation like a descending stormcloud, English teacher Eri Kagurazaka jabbed a finger at Souko's submachine gun.

"You! Give me that."

"Aye ma'am!"

Souko saluted and deactivated the Spectre's laser sight before handing it over.

"Be careful," she warned the teacher, "There's a round chambered-"

"Shut up!" Ms. Kagurazaka spat, "You're in a lot of trouble young lady. Bringing toy guns to school and attacking other students. Are you trying to get yourself expelled?"

Souko shook her head vigorously.

"No ma'am!"

"Then what are you trying to do?"

Ms. Kagurazaka turned to Chishou.

"Chishou, what happened here?"

Chishou sat up gingerly.

"I don't know. I thought she might be new, so I came up to greet her, but then she just threw me!"

"You put your arm over my shoulder without warning," Souko informed him, "I interpreted that as a possible attack and took what I deemed to be appropriate defensive measures."

Ms. Kagurazaka snorted.

"You consider what you did an appropriate defensive measure?"

Souko nodded his head.

"Yes. He came at me from behind, so I was not able to analyse his threat level. Given that, I figured it was best to neutralise him."

Ms. Kagurazaka glared at Souko.

"I see. Well, perhaps you would like to explain that to the principal. In the meantime, I will be confiscating this toy."

Souko inhaled sharply.

"That's not a toy! It's a Sites Spectre M4 Submachinegun, a selective fire weapon with a fire rate of approximately eight hundred and fifty rounds per minute. It's currently loaded with a thirty round magazine of high pressure 125 grain 9x19mm jacketed hollow point ammunition. It has no manual safety, just a decocking lever, so I advise you not to put your finger inside the trigger guard until you've had the chance to clear the chamber."

Still standing where she had been earlier, Kaname stared at Souko.

"Okay… so she's a total nutcase."

Kyouko shrugged.

"Her Japanese sounds a bit funny Kana-chan. Maybe she was studying in America for a while."

Kaname shook her head.

"Kyouko, I've lived in the US before. I have family there, remember? Last time I checked the country wasn't quite _that_ gun happy."

Kyouko nodded as she took a look at a photo she'd just taken.

"Yeah, but your family lived in New York. Maybe she's from one of those small country towns. You know, the ones with the horses and cowboys and stuff."

Kaname just looked at Kyouko for several moments until the other girl started to feel uncomfortable.

"Kana-chan?" Kyouko enquired. Kaname sighed.

"Nevermind, Kyouko."

XXXX

For some reason or other –Souko wasn't entirely sure why –the meeting with the school principal proved to be surprisingly short and cordial. The young mercenary was reprimanded of course, but the principal seemed to be surprisingly lenient –even lax. Unfortunately the same could not be said for one Sergeant Major Melissa Mao.

"What were you thinking?" Souko's commander demanded over the young mercenary's hidden radio as she walked down the hall towards her class. "Do you have any brains in that head of yours at all? How could you do something like that?"

Surprisingly –or perhaps not so surprisingly- it was Kurz who came to Souko's defence.

"Now now, big sister, don't be so hard on her. She's doing her best in an environment that she has no experience operating in."

"I don't give a f--- about whether she has experience in it or not," Mao shot back, "The fact that she's doing her best isn't going to matter if she ends up killing someone."

Sensing discontent among her squadmates, Souko moved rapidly to defuse the situation.

"I'm sorry, Sergeant Major, I know my performance this morning was unacceptable. I will try to be more restrained in the future."

On the other end of the communications channel, Mao calmed down a little. Kurz was right: she was being pretty hard on Souko. For some reason she felt bad about that, even though she knew her subordinate was the sort who accepted criticism and moved on.

_I wish they could have come up with someone else to do this job,_ she thought to herself as she replied in a solemn tone.

"Alright, I guess that's as much as I can ask. Good luck, Souko."

Souko, however, was not done yet.

"Sergeant Major, there is an additional subject I wish to discuss."

Mao paused, a little surprised by what she had just heard.

"What's that, Souko? Is it mission related?"

"Yes. It's about Kaname's companion, a girl named Kyouko. I have reason to believe she is an enemy agent, and would like permission to interrogate her."

Mao froze.

"What? What makes you think that?"

Souko paused for a moment before replying.

"Kaname was rather upset about something Kyouko had done on the request of a third party. When she asked Kyouko whether she would sell her to a foreign country if asked, Kyouko replied that she would "have to think about it." Also, she took a photo of me as I approached."

Mao pursed her lips.

"Weber, do you have a recording of that?"

In the cockpit of the M9, Kurz nodded.

"Yep, just a moment."

The recording began to play on one of Mao's surveillance screens. The Sergeant Major's mouth dropped open, then she banged her head against the table.

"Sergeant Major?" Souko asked. Mao raised her head and growled.

"She's joking, Souko. Her and Kaname are friends."

Souko blinked.

"Joking? Are you sure?"

Mao snarled.

"Yes, I'm sure, Souko!"

"But-"

"No buts, Souko! Kyouko is Kaname's friend. You are not to interrogate her. In fact, you are not to treat her as threat under any circumstances. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes Sergeant Major!"

Mao nodded.

"Good. Then get going, you'll be late for class otherwise."

"Aye ma'am."

Souko began running towards her homeroom. Mao, meanwhile, leaned back in her chair and sighed, her hand on her head.

_I really need a beer._

She was considering the possibility of signing off to take a shower when she heard Weber's voice on the other end of the comm. channel.

"Sis, why did you give me _both _of the "Meatloaf with Gravy" MREs? You know I hate those things just as much as you do."

Mao counted to three, then tore of the headset and screamed.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh!" 

XXXX

Fortunately –or perhaps unfortunately- Souko was not particularly late for homeroom on her first day. That gave her a chance to introduce herself to her classmates and explain some of her interests.

Ms. Kagurazaka looked at Souko in surprise when she realised that the girl was seated at her desk. When had she come in?

Brushing off her student's silent arrival, the homeroom teacher raised her voice and spoke to her class. She wasn't impressed by the first impression Souko had made on her, but she'd give the girl a chance with her classmates.

"Class, I'd like to introduce a new transfer student to you. Souko Sagara, would you come up to the front of the room and introduce yourself please?"

Souko saluted.

"Aye, ma'am!"

She strode to the front of the classroom and stood in an at ease position.

"My name is Souko Sagara!" she declared in a loud voice, head held high and chest thrust out in front of her. Dead silence followed, lasting several moments before being broken by Ms. Kagurazaka.

"Is that all you have to say?" she asked

Souko nodded her head and replied in her still too loud voice.

"Aye ma'am! That is all I have to say."

Miss Kagurazaka gave Souko a funny look.

"I see."

She turned back to the class.

"Does anyone have any questions for Souko?"

One of the girls raised her hand.

"Where do you come from?" she asked. Souko's answer was rather short.

"You don't need to know that," she replied. Miss Kagurazaka looked shocked.

"Souko!"

Souko turned to face the teacher.

"Yes ma'am?"

"Why did you just say that?" she demanded.

Souko shrugged.

"It's the truth, ma'am. That information is classified. I can't tell it to anyone that doesn't have a need to know."

At the back of the room, Kaname shook her head, an incredulous look on her face.

"This is unreal."

Kyouko snapped a photograph.

"Looks pretty real to me," she replied.

Kaname put her head against her desk. Meanwhile, Ms. Kagurazaka glared daggers at Souko.

"Answer Tomomi's question, Sagara."

Souko shook her head.

"I'm sorry Ma'am, but I've been told not to discuss that matter."

Ms. Kagurazaka blinked.

"Oh. I see."

She turned back to the class.

"Well, does anyone have any other questions?"

Another student raised her hand.

"What are your hobbies?" she asked.

"Other then beating up boys," someone added.

"My favourite hobby is reading," Souko replied, "though I have an interest in linguistics as well."

"What sort of books do you like to read?" one of the boys enquired. Souko smiled a little.

"I read a lot of technical manuals and publications. The various Jane's publications are some of my favourites."

That caused one boy near the back to look up suddenly.

"Soldier of Fortune is also an interesting read. I subscribe to it and Arm Slave Monthly, as well as the Japanese publication AS Fan. It's a little on the light side, but it has much better technical information than many of the other publications directed at a non professional audience."

The boy who had looked up stared at Souko, his mouth open. Most of the rest of the class was doing that as well, but not for the same reasons.

"Lately, one of my friends has convinced me to take an interest in naval matters. I recently obtained several volumes of the Royal Naval College's publications, as well as the latest copy of Jane's Fighting Ships. I typically try to read those be-"

Souko caught her teacher's look and quickly left off.

"My apologies. Please forget I said anything."

Most of the class returned to normal, but the boy in the back continued to stare at Souko. He looked incredibly –almost deliriously- happy. Someone poked the side of his face.

"Hey Shinji, are you okay?"

Someone else snorted.

"He's fine. He just got a fanboy overdose. Leave him alone."

One of the girls looked at Souko, then back to the boy.

"Those two should get along well."

"Yeah," someone laughed, "assuming she doesn't beat the crap out of him the way she beat the crap out of Chishou!"

"Why did she do that?" someone else asked.

"I don't know," came the reply, "Maybe she doesn't like boys!"

That brought laughter from all around. One of the girls raised her hand.

"Hey Souko, you mentioned you like music. Do you have any favourite bands?"

Souko relaxed. Now she was on safe ground. Mao and Kurz had managed to include two CDs in the items that they had given her.

"Goro Kadokawa and the Suppin Girls!" she declared proudly. The whole class stared. The new girl's reputation had just hit rock bottom.

XXXX

"She's definitely rather odd," Kaname remarked as she sat down to lunch with some of her friends, "She speaks like a soldier, and all her interests seem to be military related. She pulled a toy gun on Chishou, then pretended it was real when the teacher confiscated it. Worst of all, she keeps following me around like she's stalking me or something. Everywhere I look, she's always there! She pretends it's just a coincidence, but I know better then that."

Maya grinned at Kaname.

"I heard some suggestions that she might be a lesbian. Maybe she likes you."

Kaname shuddered.

"Don't say that! It's creepy enough that she's following me around! I don't even want to_consider_ the fact that she might be interested in me in that sort of way."

Kyouko spoke up in an attempt to calm Kaname down.

"She's new here. Maybe she wants to be friends, but is too shy to approach us." 

Kaname sighed.

"Yeah, maybe. Still, I wish she'd go make friends with Shinji or one of the other military otakus. I don't like talking about Arm Slaves."

One of Kaname's other friends made a shushing motion.

"Shhh, here she comes!"

The group watched as Souko entered the classroom. To their surprise, she strode directly up to their cluster of desks without missing a beat.

"May I sit here?" she asked, indicating a chair near Kaname's. Kaname blinked.

"Uh… sure," she replied. Souko nodded.

"Thank you."

She sat down on her chair and took a package out of her bag as the other girls turned back to their lunches and attempted to resume conversing. Kyouko eyed the package curiously.

"Hey Souko, what is that?"

Souko looked over at Kyouko.

"This? This is a MRE."

Kyouko blinked.

"A MRE?"

Souko nodded.

"Yes, a Meal Ready to Eat. It's the standard US military field ration. This one is "Cheese Tortellini" flavour. It contains approximately twelve hundred calories."

Kyouko's eyes widened as she looked at Souko. Had she not seen the package with her own eyes, she might have thought the other girl was making that up. As it was, she still had trouble believing it. The other girls, including Kaname, were no less surprised.

"Uh… where did you get that?" Kaname asked.

Souko shrugged as she activated the package's flameless heater.

"I brought some of them with me when I moved."

Kaname eyed Souko.

"I see… did you come here from the US then?"

There was a beep as Kyouko snapped a photograph. Souko shook her head.

"Negative."

Kaname blinked at the response.

_That was a little odd._

"So, um… where did you come from then?"

"I'm not allowed to discuss it."

Souko's tone was firm. Kaname looked at the other girl.

"Why not? Did something bad happen?"

Souko shook her head.

"No."

"Then what did happen?"

"I'm not allowed to discuss it."

This time Souko's tone was rather stiff. Kaname shrugged.

"Alright then, fine. Is there anything you _do_ want to talk about?"

For a moment she wondered if she'd made a mistake, but Souko shook her head.

"Negative. Continue with whatever subjects you were pursuing prior to my arrival."

Kaname gave Souko an odd look.

"O-kay…"

She turned back to Maya.

"So, what were you saying happened to your older sister?"

Maya smiled.

"Oh. She and her boyfriend went out on a date on the weekend, and apparently they got lost while they were on it."

She giggled.

"According to her, there are some parts of Tokyo that you do _not_ want to hang around in after nightfall. She said she was scared half out of her wits, and so was her boyfriend. You should have seen the expression on her face when she got home. She looked as pale as a sheet, and that was more then an hour later."

Souko looked up from her MRE.

"If that's the case, has your sister considered carrying a weapon of some sort? A taser perhaps, or even just a spray bottle loaded with chemical irritants? I know of many common household items that can be used as effective deterrents against attack…"

Maya gave Souko a funny look.

"Why would my sister want to carry stuff like that around with her all the time?"

Souko looked confused.

"Well, you just said that-"

A piercing shriek suddenly echoed through the classroom. Reacting instantaneously, Souko moved to cover Kaname.

"Get down!" she yelled as she ripped her P228 from its holster.

The two girls hit the floor a moment later, Souko directly on top of Kaname. The entire room stared at them, including the girl who had been screaming. Kaname flushed bright red.

"Sagara-san…" she growled.

Souko scanned the classroom slowly, weapon at the ready. She didn't seem fazed by Kaname's anger. Maya grinned.

"Les-bi-an," she whispered. Kaname snarled at her. Finally, Souko put her Sig away and got off Kaname.

"All clear. Situation normal," she declared, seemingly to no one in particular, though in reality she was speaking to her squadmates via a hidden microphone. Embarrassed beyond belief, Kaname rose to her feet and brushed off her skirt, her cheeks burning. All her friends were laughing at her.

"Do you normally do that sort of thing, Sagara-san?" Kaname demanded. Souko nodded.

"Affirmative."

Kaname shook her head.

"It's a miracle you ever got through elementary school."

She sat down at the table and went back to her lunch.

"So, I hear softball practice got rescheduled," one of her friends noted. Kaname nodded.

"Yeah, everything is being messed up because of the trip."

"What's softball? Is it some sort of game?"

Kaname nodded, a little surprised that Souko was interested.

"Yes. One person throws a ball and another person hits it with a bat. The objective is to hit the ball so far that the opposing team can't catch it before you can reach a certain point on the field."

Souko nodded.

"I see. It seems simple enough. Do you mind if I join in when you resume playing?"

Kaname looked over at Souko, a wary expression on her face.

"Have you ever played anything like that before, Sagara-san?"

Souko nodded.

"I've played catch a few times before with my companions. Also, I can lob a M67 Fragmentation Grenade twenty-five meters with accuracy."

Kaname stared at Souko.

"You've really done that before?"

Souko nodded.

"Affirmative. I have done it many times."

Kaname stared at Souko.

_This girl has a bit of a problem with reality,_ she thought to herself.

"Um, yeah, well, you're welcome to watch, but we're already partway through the season now… we aren't really in a good position to take on new players…"

Souko nodded.

"I understand."

Feeling nervous, Kaname quickly finished the rest of her lunch and stood up.

"Well, it was nice talking to you Souko. I'm just going to go take a walk, okay? See you in class this afternoon."

"Affirmative."

Kaname left the table, followed by her friends. With the exception of Kyouko, none of them had any interest in sticking around the new girl. As she was about to leave the cafeteria, Kaname looked back for a moment, her eyes meeting Souko's in the process. She paused momentarily.

"Hey, Kaname, what's the hold up?" Maya asked from the doorway.

Kaname sighed and turned to leave.

"It's Souko. I know she's weird, but you know, despite everything she's done so far… I kind of feel sorry for her."


	3. Mission Impossible?

Disclaimer

Full Metal Panic! and its associated characters do not belong to me. Full Metal Panic! is copyright Shoji Gatoh.

Chapter Two:  
Mission Impossible?

Sweat poured down Souko's forehead as she attempted to listen to the lecture Miss Kagurazaka was giving her.

"I have never, never, _ever_ had a transfer student cause this many problems!"

As she attempted to concentrate on what her teacher was saying, Souko's eyes wandered back to her P228, which currently resided in Miss Kagurazaka's hand. The young mercenary was not a person who got scared easily, yet the sight of her teacher holding the deadly little weapon with her finger on the trigger scared her more then some of her experiences in Yugoslavia had.

_There are few guns more dangerous then the ones in the hands of the inexperienced,_ one of her Mithril instructors had once told her. Souko was now beginning to understand what he meant.

"Furthermore!" Ms. Kagurazaka said as she slammed the Sig down against the table with enough force to make Souko flinch, "You cannot bring these sorts of toys to school! I told you that yesterday!"

An involuntary spasm shot up Souko's spine. She couldn't take it any longer.

"Sensei," she begged in an uncharacteristic display of agitation, "Could you _please_ place your finger outside the trigger guard? That gun doesn't have a manual safety."

Ms. Kagurazaka studied Souko carefully. She was thoroughly tempted to pull the trigger as a way of proving that the gun wasn't real, but decided against such a demonstration.

"I will be confiscating this along with the other toy you brought," Ms. Kagurazaka said calmly. "I do not expect to see any more such toys. Have I made myself clear?"

Souko gulped.

"Aye ma'am!"

She'd obviously have to do a better job of concealing her weapons in the future. She's already replaced her Spectre with Kurz's roughly comparable MP5 PDW, but while her blonde haired squadmate had a P228 as well, she had the feeling he'd be a little reluctant to give it up after she'd lost two weapons in such a short time.

_I'll have to find some way to get my own guns back soon,_ Souko decided. As that thought was running through her head, another quite different thought was running through Kaname's head.

"She looks really nervous," Kaname commented to Kyouko as the two of them watched Souko and Ms. Kagurazaka's chat through the slightly open classroom door. Kaname's friend had her camera in hand.

"Yeah," Kyouko agreed as she snapped a picture, "I wonder if she thinks that gun is real."

Kaname snorted.

"Wouldn't surprise me. That girl needs psychiatric treatment. I'm surprised Sensei hasn't set her up with a counsellor yet."

As if she'd been waiting for a cue, Miss Kagurazaka turned to the subject of counselling.

"If you're behaviour doesn't improve, I'll have no choice but to set you up with a counsellor. I don't want to do it, because the other students might make an issue out of it, but I will if I have to. Your behaviour right now is completely unacceptable!"

_You got that right,_ Kaname thought to herself. Souko had been nothing but trouble all day. She's knocked over a bookcase. She'd burst into the boys washroom screaming "don't move!" She'd jumped out a window during history class. She'd even run into Miss Kagurazaka in the hallway with that stupid toy gun in hand.

_Where did this girl grow up? A war zone?_

Souko's expression was serious as she replied to her teacher.

"I understand. I will attempt to do a better job of performing my duties as a student in the future."

Miss Kagurazaka was surprised by the earnestness of Souko's reply, but that wasn't enough to save the young soldier from another glare.

"Make sure you do, Souko. Otherwise you're going to be in for a world of trouble."

Souko nodded in reply.

"Aye, ma'am," she agreed quietly. Kaname and Kyouko crept off before their teacher could catch them spying.

XXXX

Kurz was already relaxing back at the apartment when Souko returned.

"Welcome home, imouto-chan," he yawned as he leaned back in his chair. He looked as limp as a ragdoll as he let his arms dangle down behind him.

"Hello Kurz," Souko replied solemnly. Kurz looked at his younger companion.

"I heard you had a rough day."

Souko nodded.

"I had a few problems."

Kurz smiled. He was well aware of Souko's difficulties, having taken over controller duties for Mao while the Sergeant Major was out grocery shopping.

"Yeah, I noticed that."

He picked up a small package of Japanese take out food that was sitting on the table next to him.

"Are you hungry?"

Souko nodded.

"I haven't had a chance to eat since lunch."

"I thought that might be the case. Here."

He handed her the package. Souko looked at it in surprise.

"Is this for me?" she asked. Kurz nodded.

"Yeah. I picked it up on the way home. I figured you could use something to raise your morale a little bit."

Souko blinked.

"Thank you."

Kurz grinned.

"Don't mention it. I'm not always a jerk you know, no matter what big sister says."

Souko actually smiled at that, which caused Kurz' grin to widen even further.

"You're smiling. That's rare from you. I guess I can consider my plan a success."

Souko nodded.

"You can. My morale is considerably higher now. Thank you."

"No problem. I'm always willing to help a pretty girl."

The last was said with one of Kurz's trademark smiles, the effect of which was completely lost on Souko. Seeing her lack of a reaction, Kurz sighed, then perked up a little when he heard a faint scuffing noise and the jingling of keys.

"Ah, I guess that must be our valiant Sergeant Major back from her grocery shopping."

The door to the apartment opened, and Mao stepped in. She looked both extremely exhausted and extremely irritated. Kurz waved to her.

"Welcome home big sister. Is something wrong?"

Mao snarled as she put down her bags.

"Everything in Tokyo is so expensive!" she fumed, "Do you know how much a can of crab cost me? It cost me seventy-nine hundred yen. Seventy nine hundred yen! And I only found that price because I went to every supermarket in the district."

Kurz nodded solemnly, though in reality he was rather amused by his superior's antics.

"That's awful, big sister.'"

Mao nodded emphatically.

"Tell me about it! I can't believe the people around here put up with it. It's like they're all millionaires or something."

She marched over to the refrigerator and began shoving things into it with far more force then was necessary. Kurz watched her for a few moments, then walked up behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders.

"You seem stressed, sis.' Why don't you try and relax a lit- oof!"

The Sergeant's attempt to knead his superior's shoulders was quickly ended by an elbow to the stomach. Mao's grin as she turned around was positively demonic.

"Thank you, Kurz. I needed that."

Kurz laughed nervously.

"No problem. I'm always glad to be of help."

Mao snorted.

"A little too glad, sometimes. I think you must be a masochist."

She shoved the last of the groceries into the refrigerator, then opened a can of beer and took a big gulp. With a sigh of contentment, she made her way over to one of the chairs and flopped down.

"I think I'm finally getting the hang of this surveillance business."

Kurz snorted.

"You would. You're not the one who has to pilot an M9 through crowded streets all day. All you have to do is sit here and monitor communications."

"Hey, do_you_ want to be the one doing all the paperwork? I'm quite willing to take over for you if you're willing to do that."

Souko gave an uncharacteristic sigh as she listened to her comrades bicker. At that moment, she would gladly have traded places with either of them.

XXXX

The next day Kaname and her friends were gathered around a table at a local hamburger joint as they discussed the upcoming class trip to Okinawa.

"I'm surprised you gave Souko garbage duty," Maya told Kaname, "I was sure you were going to give that to one of the boys."

Kaname laughed nervously.

"Yeah, so was I. I don't know why I gave it to her. I guess it might be because she's new."

"That's a bit of a mean thing to do," Mayuko noted.

Kaname grimaced.

"Yeah," she agreed, "Still, you have to admit her reaction was pretty funny. All that stuff about disease and conflict zones. How did she get from garbage duty to the conditions in African refugee camps?"

Mayuko shook her head.

"I don't have a clue how her mind works. She's harder to understand then a lot of boys I know."

That brought giggles from all around.

"Yeah, she's worse then Shinji."

"No she's not!"

"Yes she is! Shinji can talk about things other then Arm Slaves if he has to. And he doesn't go around knocking down bookcases and crashing into teachers."

Maya laughed.

"Really Mayuko, you should have seen it when she crashed into Miss Kagurazaka. I swear, if looks could kill, that girl would be dead by now! No ifs, buts, or maybes."

As the girls spoke, they were unaware that they were being carefully observed by the subject of their conversation. Seated in a corner near the window, Souko had hidden her face behind an old copy of _Defence Quarterly_ that she'd cut a hole in with her tactical knife.

"She's currently chatting with some of her friends at a restaurant. They're seated well back, so I'll have ample warning if there's an attack from the front, but very little if one comes from the kitchen area."

On the other end of the communications line, Kurz shook his head.

"Don't worry about it so much, imouto-chan. As I mentioned last night, I doubt she's really being targeted. Chill out, otherwise you're going to get yourself injured."

Souko was unwilling to give in.

"I can't let my guard down. People who let their guard-"

She stopped speaking abruptly, which made Kurz quite concerned.

"Hey Souko, what's wrong?"

Souko spoke very quietly as she reached into her book bag and took hold of her borrowed MP5 PDW.

"I just spotted a suspicious looking man. He's seated at the counter and keeps looking at his watch. He has a metal suitcase with him. I think it might be a bomb."

"A bomb! Hold on, the report said someone might try to kidnap her. You don't use a bomb if you want to-"

Souko ignored Kurz, as she was too busy worrying about the odd looking man whom she had spotted.

"He just stood up. I'm worried he might have spotted me."

Had the MP5 PDW not been too big to effectively hide behind her copy of _Defence Quarterly_, Souko would probably have drawn it. As it was, she had to be content with simply keeping a solid grip on the concealed weapon until the suspicious looking man was out of sight.

"He's gone. I'm going to attempt to determine the nature of-"

She trailed off as a truly amazing scene unfolded before her. Kaname, heedless of the danger the suitcase posed, approached it, picked it up, and began heading for the door in an agitated manner. Souko simply stared at her.

"No way…"

She couldn't believe what she was seeing. What was Kaname thinking? She'd have to take action. Flinging her magazine aside, Souko lurched to her feet and ran for the door, knocking over another customer in the process. She didn't stop to apologise though. She didn't have the time.

"Not good!"

Kaname's friends watched in surprise as Souko bolted for the door.

"Is that Souko?" Kyouko asked as the other girl made her exit. An angry yell was heard from the women who had been knocked down. Meanwhile Kurz, who was still monitoring the situation from the cockpit of his M9, was trying to figure out what the heck was going on.

"Uruz 6 to Uruz 7. What's wrong? Souko! What happened? What's going on?"

His only reply was the sight of his younger comrade exiting the restaurant at a dead run. Meanwhile, Kaname was yelling to the suitcase's owner.

"Hey! Hey over there! You forgot your briefcase!"

She was so intent on trying to catch up to the man that she didn't pay any attention to where she was or what was going on around her. Only Souko's intervention saved her from injury.

Her senses alert and her mind in full combat mode, Souko heard the truck coming even before she saw its approach. She yelled a warning to Kaname.

"Kaname! Look out!"

It was exactly the wrong thing to say. Kaname froze where she was and turned to face the oncoming vehicle, an expression of shock appearing on her face as she saw what was bearing down on her. The driver slammed on his brakes, but it was too late. There was no way he could stop in time.

Souko sprang into action. Moving like a sprinter, the young mercenary ran forward, threw her arms around Kaname's waist, and yanked the other girl backwards, pulling her out of harms way just before the truck reached her. The young soldier lost her balance a moment later, and the two of them fell to the pavement in a tangled heap as the huge vehicle rumbled by, so close that the wind of its passing ruffled their hair and clothing. In the cockpit of the nearby M9, Kurz closed his eyes and sighed with relief.

_That was close,_ he thought to himself. Meanwhile, just down the street, Kaname was staring after the now stationary truck with wide eyes.

_I almost died_, she realised as the massive vehicle began to slowly inch away, its driver quite obviously somewhat freaked out. The schoolgirl had little attention left for anything but what had just happened, including the suitcase she had dropped when she fell to the ground.

"Oh god!"

The schoolgirl's attention was brought back to the object that had caused the whole mess in the first place as its owner rushed up to it. On the sidewalk next to her, Souko tensed up. She was not in a good situation. With Kaname holding onto her the way she was, it would be very difficult to access her book bag, and her more convenient thigh holster was unfortunately rather empty. That would put her at a significant disadvantage if the briefcase's owner proved to be hostile. Thankfully, that turned out not to be the case.

"You're alright!" the man exclaimed in relief as he surveyed the suitcase's contents. It took Kaname a moment to realise his speech was directed not at her, but at the anime merchandise he had almost left behind. She would have given the man a piece of her mind had her friends not made an entrance at that moment.

"Kana-chan! Souko! Are you alright?"

Kaname's attention was drawn to a rather distressed looking Kyouko, who had just run out of the restaurant with Maya and Mayuko. All three looked rather worried. Kaname turned to Souko in surprise as she realised who had just saved her life.

"Souko? What are you doing here?"

Souko shrugged as best she could in her current position, with her arms still around Kaname.

"I just happened to be around," she replied.

"Hey, are you two alright?" Kyouko asked insistently.

"I'm fine," Souko assured her before turning to Kaname.

"What about you, Kaname? Did you suffer any injuries? I know First Aid."

Kaname shook her head.

"I'm fine."

Kyouko breathed a sigh of relief.

"That was a close one. If Souko hadn't moved so fast, you might have been dead."

Mayuko nodded.

"Yeah, she was pretty quick."

Not to be left out, Maya added her own praise to that of her friends.

"You should have seen her, Kaname! She was really cool."

Souko flushed slightly and adjusted the position of one of her hands somewhat. Unfortunately she wasn't paying much attention to where she put it.

"I just did what I had to," she said modestly. "I happened to be in the right place at the right time, that's all."

Next to her, Kaname's face began to go red with embarrassment. It was only a slight flush at first, but it intensified as she realised that Souko _wasn't_ moving her hand. She grimaced.

_Oh god, don't let my friends notice this…_

Unfortunately, Kaname's friends were all too aware of where Souko's hand was. It showed in the way they grinned at her.

"Right, right, of course."

Kyouko seemed to be reasonably in control of herself, but Maya and Mayuko weren't even trying to hold back their laughter. They were enjoying Kaname's discomfort. Maya's comment from the day before entered the schoolgirl's mind.

"_Les-bi-an…"_

Kaname's face felt like it was going to burn up.

"_Sou-ko_ …" she snarled. Souko looked at her.

"Yes?" the other girl asked quizzically. Kaname glared at her.

"Would you _please remove your hand from my chest?_"

The raised voice that accompanied the end of that sentence made Souko flinch, the result of which was the young soldier's hand making an involuntary but all too easy to misinterpret squeezing motion. A moment later, all hell broke loose.

Lurching to her feet like some angry beast, Kaname knocked Souko back against the pavement with a well aimed and rather painful kick to the chest. Maya and Mayuko were now laughing uproariously, and even Kyouko seemed on the verge of breaking into tears. Kaname glared at the three of them.

"C'mon," she growled. Without another word she turned and stalked off, leaving her rather bewildered protector to try and make sense of what had just happened.

XXXX

Somehow, someway, Souko managed to avoid another confrontation with Kaname until the two of them were on their way home aboard one of the many trains that ran through Tokyo. Asking fate for more than that was asking too much however.

It didn't take very long for Kaname to figure out who Souko was. The other girl was hiding behind her copy of _Defence Quarterly_, but Kaname knew how to read English, and she also knew there weren't that many schoolgirls in Tokyo who read those sorts of magazines. Closing the book she was reading with a pronounced thump, Kaname rose to her feet and made her way over to where Souko was seated. The other girl looked up in surprise as Kaname grabbed her magazine out of her hands.

"Do you have some kind of grudge against me?" Kaname demanded, "Are you trying to get revenge on me because I gave you garbage duty for the school field trip? Is that why you're following me?"

Despite the futility of it all, Souko stuck to her game plan.

"Kaname! What a surprise."

Kaname snorted.

"Don't play innocent with me, Souko! I know you're following me around!"

Souko shrugged her shoulders.

"It's just a coincidence."

Kaname snorted again.

"You're still telling me that? After what happened earlier?"  
She held up the magazine the other girl had been reading.

"Winter 1990. You're actually reading this thing? Even though it's over ten years old?"

Souko nodded.

"Old defence publications are still worth reading. You can learn a lot from studying them."

Kaname ignored Souko's statement.

"Why are you following me?" she demanded. Souko acted surprised.

"Me? Following you? I don't know what you're talking about. Perhaps you're being a little paranoid."

Kaname's mouth dropped open.

"I'm being paranoid?"

She glared at Souko.

"You think I'm being paranoid if I object to being stalked by you?"

She kicked Souko's seat to emphasise her words.

"Tell me directly if you have a problem with what I'm doing. Otherwise leave me alone!"

Souko nodded.

"All right. Don't worry about it. It was just a coincidence."

Kaname shook her head in disbelief.

"You're still insisting that this is a coincidence."

"Of course. What else would it be?"

As they were speaking, the train rolled to a stop at a deserted station and the doors slid open. Kaname grinned evilly.

"I see. Alright then, it was a coincidence. See you around, Souko!"

With that she ducked out the doors onto the platform. Souko sprang to her feet to follow her, but she was too late. Kaname stuck her tongue out as the train made ready to depart. Souko stared at her angrily for a moment, then began running towards the back.

"Bye-bye, lesbian stalker girl," Kaname called out as she watched the train cars roll by. She felt rather pleased with herself –or rather she did until she saw what Souko was doing.

Seizing the last window on the train with both hands, the young soldier pulled it down and dived out, heedless of the vehicle's rapidly increasing speed. She hit the ground hard and rolled, accidentally allowing her book bag to come open as she did so. Textbooks, magazines, and hand grenades all went flying. Even the MP5 PDW managed to escape as she careened towards a one of the station roof's support pillars and struck it hard. Kaname stared at the other girl in shock before running up to her prone form.

"Souko. Souko. _Souko!_ Are you alright?"

She grabbed hold of the other girl's shoulder and shook it, her anger over her classmate's behaviour forgotten for the time being. Her heart thudded in her chest for a few moments, then she was relieved by the sound of Souko groaning.

"Ugggghhh…"

The other girl turned her head to look at Kaname, then rose slowly to her feet and straightened her skirt.

"I'm fine. It's not a problem."

"It's a big problem!" Kaname shot back, "Honestly Souko, what the heck were you thinking, pulling something like that?"

Souko shrugged her shoulders.

"All of a sudden, I felt the urge to get off at this station. It had nothing whatsoever to do with you."

Kaname snorted incredulously.

"Are you still insisting on that nonsense?"

She sighed when Souko failed to respond.

"Whatever. I don't care. I'm just going to sit here and wait for the next train."

Souko nodded and began to gather up the various texts and weapons that had escaped from her book bag. Once that was done, she made her way over to the bench and sat down next to Kaname. The other girl glared at her.

"And I suppose you felt a sudden urge to sit right here, didn't you?"

Souko nodded.

"Correct."

Kaname hung her head.

"I don't know how much more of this I can take."

On the bench next to her, Souko began checking the MP5 PDW for damage. Thankfully the weapon was reasonably durable, and hadn't had any overly delicate optics mounted on it. Kaname stared daggers at her unwanted companion for a few moments, but her expression softened when she realised that Souko was intent on something else. Her anger fading away, she placed a hand on her classmate's shoulder, which caused the other girl to tense up for a moment.

"Hey Souko?"

Souko looked at Kaname.

"Yes?"

"Do you mind if I ask you something?"

Souko gave the PDW one more glance then placed it back in her book bag.

"No. Feel free to ask any question you want."

Kaname eyed Souko's book bag and nodded.

"You've lived overseas for a while, right?"

Souko nodded.

"Right. But I'm not allowed to tell you where."

Kaname sighed.

"That's fine. I was just wondering, well… when you were going to school overseas… Did you always behave like this?"

Souko nodded.

"Yes."

"And your friends didn't find that odd?"

Souko shook her head.

"No. Not most of the time anyway."

There were occasions when her colleagues in Mithril had found her behaviour strange, but most of the time they seemed to be okay with it. Certainly none of them had ever reacted to it the way people at Jindai High now did.

Kaname eyed Souko quizzically.

"I see."

She paused.

"Do you miss them?" she asked, remembering how hard she'd found it when she'd first moved back to Japan a few years before, "Are you sad to be separated from them?"

"No, because I keep in touch with them through letters and telephone calls. So I can't technically say I'm separated from them."

Kaname blinked.

"That's a strange way to answer."

She narrowed her eyes, remembering a question that had been bothering her for a while.

_How should I approach this?_

Kaname looked at Souko.

"Did you have a boyfriend?"

That was perhaps the most subtle way to approach it. Souko's response caused Kaname's heart to skip a beat before she had time to recover from it.

"A boyfriend?"

Kaname grimaced. She hoped she hadn't just offended Souko. She also hoped that the other girl's response didn't mean she had an interest in her.

"Yeah. A boyfriend. You know, a boy who's special to you. Or just someone who's special…"

Souko considered. She'd known quite a few boys back in Yugoslavia, including a few who had joined the same guerrilla group she had. Given their status as her comrades in arms, she supposed those ones could be considered special.

"There were several boys who were special to me," Souko told Kaname, "They're all gone now though." As far as Souko knew, they had all been killed during the seemingly endless fighting that had characterised so much of her youth. She hadn't seen all of them die, but she was pretty sure that most –if not all- of them had.

Kaname looked at Souko sympathetically.

"They left you?"

Souko shrugged. She supposed that was as good a way to describe it as any.

"In a manner of speaking, yes."

Somehow, despite the flatness of Souko's voice, Kaname caught a hint of her pain, deeply suppressed though it was. Of course, she didn't understand the reasoning for it, but that didn't stop her from feeling sympathetic.

"I'm sorry to hear that," she said, then paused. "I lost my mother a few years ago. I guess it's not quite the same as having a friend abandon you, but…"

Souko nodded.

"I understand. My parents died in a plane crash."

Kaname stared at Souko.

"You lost your parents too?"

It all snapped into place. She'd heard about people's friends abandoning them after things like that. A few of her friends had left her after her mother's death…

"So your parents left you, then your friends left you?"

Not being on the same wavelength as Kaname, Souko didn't deny it.

"Many of them."

"Oh god…"

Kaname felt like she was about to cry just thinking of it. The sympathy she'd felt for Souko before paled compared to what she felt now. Her voice was thick with emotion the next time she spoke.

"Look Souko, I'm sorry for how I treated you earlier. I should have known better. I've been the new kid before, I know what it feels like. I shouldn't have acted like that."

She looked at her classmate.

"Will you forgive me?"

"Of course. It's not a problem."

That brought a smile to Kaname's lips.

_She has a funny way of speaking._

"Thanks."

She stood up.

"I'll talk to my friends. I'll try not to exclude you anymore. Just cut it out with the stalking okay?"

Souko blinked at Kaname.

"But I'm not stalking you."

Kaname snorted.

"Yeah right, Souko. If that's the case, would you mind telling me what you were doing on that train?"

Souko shook her head.

"Of course not. I was just heading home."

Kaname looked at Souko sceptically.

"Yeah? And where do you live?"

"Suite 505, Tigers Mansion, Chofu district."

Kaname stared at Souko.

"That's…"

_Right across the street from the building I live in..._

"…right across the street from the building I live in."

While Souko wasn't an exceptional actress, she did manage to feign surprise fairly well. Perhaps the flatness of her usual demeanour helped in that regard.

"Is it?"

Kaname began to laugh.

"Yes it is. Ha ha. I guess that explains a lot."

She looked at Souko curiously.

"But tell me Souko, if you were just heading home, why did you jump out the window of the train like that?"

Souko looked around. The station was still fairly empty.

"I was worried about your safety," she answered truthfully, "I didn't think it was a good idea for you to be in an empty station alone."

Kaname looked at her incredulously.

"You dived out a window because you were worried about my safety?"

Souko nodded.

"Yes."

Kaname stared at the other girl, then burst out laughing. In an odd sort of way, she found her companion's behaviour rather touching.

"You're funny, Souko."

"I am?"

"Yes, you are. You're very funny. But you're also nice."

She turned as another train began to approach the station.

"Would you like to sit with me on the way back? I won't mind."

Souko's heart leaped. It would make her job a lot easier if she didn't have to hide from Kaname all the time.

"I'd be honoured, Kaname!"

Kaname gave a start at Souko's response, then chuckled.

"You're funny. You're definitely funny…"

She kept laughing for quite some time, and Souko felt a great heaviness lift itself from her shoulders. This might be a difficult mission, but it wasn't impossible. She could do it. There was light at the end of the tunnel.


	4. The Great Raid

Disclaimer

Full Metal Panic! and its associated characters do not belong to me. Full Metal Panic! is copyright Shoji Gatoh.

Thank you to Ominae for helping me deal with the Khanka Autonomous Region stuff!

Chapter Three:  
The Great Raid

Shinji Kazama felt a great sense of excitement as he rushed into the school building.

_I can't wait to show these to the other kids in the photo club!_

As usual, there was a club meeting after school, but Shinji couldn't wait that long. He wanted to show off his new Arm Slave photos _now_. He'd finally worked up the courage to develop them.

_It was a lot of work, but man was it worth it!_ he thought to himself as he considered his new photographs. He'd waited a long time before developing them. They were special to him, and he wanted to make sure he had his technique down before he tried anything with them. That was why he'd accumulated so many rolls of film by the time he was actually ready to develop any of them.

"Sempais! Take a look at these!" Shinji yelled as he spotted a group of older boys from the photo club. They were named Gengo, Ichita, and Masaharu. All had been members of the club longer then Shinji had been. All were considered cooler then he was. None of them shared his otaku interests.

"Hello Shinji. You seem happy today." Ichita replied calmly. Like the other boys, he refused to be infected by Shinji's enthusiasm. That didn't seem to matter to Shinji though.

"Of course I am!" Second Year, Class Four's biggest military fanboy declared, "I finally managed to develop my Arm Slave photos. Take a look!"

He handed Ichita a package. The older boy took it and flipped through the pictures inside, refusing to rush despite how little time there was before class. He pursed his lips.

"Hmmm. Well, your technique isn't bad. Your subject matter isn't great though. It doesn't take much courage to photograph an Arm Slave."

Shinji blinked.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

Ichita shrugged.

"What I mean is that you don't need to be a brave man in order to photograph Arm Slaves. They're not going to reject you if you ask, and they're certainly not going to get angry if you take a picture without permission. Not like a person would."

Shinji blinked.

"Yes, but I don't really see what you're getting at…"

Ichita grinned.

"What I mean, Shinji, is that you lack the courage to get close to a photographic object. How do you expect to become a better photographer if you aren't willing to go up and ask anyone?"

Shinji began to feel nervous.

"I don't know. I haven't though about it much. I don't really have much of an interest in photographing people."

Ichita snorted.

"Well that's no good. What if someday you meet a really cute girl, and you want to take her picture? What are you going to do then?"

Shinji timidly shrugged his shoulders.

"Um… I'd go ask her, I guess."

"And what if she said no?"

Shinji stared at Ichita.

"Um… I'd let the issue drop, I guess."

Ichita snorted.

"I see, so you'd just give up."

Shinji blinked.

"Wouldn't you?"

Ichita shook his head.

"No, I wouldn't."

Shinji was at a bit of a loss.

"Then what would you do?"

Ichita smiled at Shinji.

"I'll tell you what I'd do," he told the younger boy, "I'd persist. Persevere. Hang on 'til she gave in. That's the only way to achieve victory."

"I see."

Shinji grimaced as he spoke. He wasn't very comfortable with that line of reasoning.

"So what do you think I should do?" he asked.

Ichita shrugged.

"Do something to build your courage."

"Like what?"

"I don't know. Maybe go steal some girl's panties?"

Shinji choked on his own saliva.

"What?" he managed when he was able to breathe properly again.

"Go steal some girl's panties," Ichita told him. "Better yet, make it Kaname Chidori's panties. Those will take some real courage to get."

Shinji couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Are you out of your mind?" he demanded, "Kaname would murder me if she caught me doing something like that!"

Ichita grinned.

"All the better. You'll show what sort of man you are."

Shinji shook his head.

"No," he answered vehemently, "I won't! I won't do it!"

Ichita shrugged his shoulders.

"Oh really? Well then, maybe I'll just keep these photos of yours."

He made to put the envelope of Shinji's pictures in his book bag. Shinji started.

"Wait! You can't do that? My negatives are in there!"

Ichita began to whistle as he slipped the envelope into his book bag.

"Even better. Now you have even more reason to go steal those panties."

"Wait! You can't do this!"

"I just did."

Ichita's words hung in the air for several moments as Shinji stood there, staring dejectedly at the older boy. He looked to Gengo and Masaharu for help, but neither of them seemed ready to stand up for him. If anything, they seemed ready to play along with Ichita's plan. Shinji sighed.

"Alright," he said reluctantly and with some trepidation, "I'll go steal some panties. But not from Kaname. Anyone but Kaname."

Ichita raised a brow.

"Anyone but Kaname?" he asked.

Shinji nodded.

"Anyone but Kaname."

Ichita smiled.

"Alright then," he purred, looking for all the world like a cat that had just caught a mouse, "I think we have a deal. Now we just need to decide on a target."

Shinji had the uneasy feeling that he'd just stepped into some kind of trap.

"Do you have anyone in mind?" he asked.

Ichita's grin widened.

"As a matter of fact I do. She's someone you know. In fact, you're both in the same class."

Shinji's eyes widened

"We're both in the same class? You don't mean…"

He didn't need to say any more. Ichita's grin told him all he needed to know.

XXXX

Souko had been performing her duties with renewed vigour ever since her conversation with Kaname at the train station. "Promise Three: Put the garbage in transparent bags." The young mercenary sat straight in her chair as she read the list of promises Kaname had given her. She would not fail! "Promise Four: Group bags containing the same type of garbage together." She paused when she came to the next promise. 

"Promise Five: Do not cause any trouble at the hotel."

She'd try. She hadn't had much luck with staying out of trouble at school even after Kaname's acceptance of her, but she'd do her best. To do less would make her a failure long before any mistake would.

"Promise Six: Try to keep things clean."

That one would not be difficult. As a soldier, Souko was used to spit and polish.

"Promise Seven: Ask your Class Representative for advice if you have any problems."

Souko lowered the paper for a moment, intending to go through the list again. Before she could do so however, Kurz chose to present dinner.

"Here you go!" Souko's blonde-haired squadmate declared as he placed a huge plate of noodles on the table. Souko looked at the dish. It looked familiar somehow.

"Is this sauce flavoured spaghetti?" she asked.

Kurz snorted.

"Of course it is, Souko! What else would it be? We're in Japan."

He shook his head.

"Sometimes I wonder if you really are Japanese, Souko! Honestly, when a girl needs help learning what's supposed to be her native language…"

When Souko and Kurz had first met, Souko had known very little Japanese. Having spent several years in Tokyo when he was younger, Kurz had taken it upon himself to teach the young mercenary her own tongue, which she'd almost forgotten after years living in Yugoslavia. With Tessa's help he'd made remarkable progress in the task, but even so, Souko's Japanese was not on the same level as that of her classmates –or Kurz, for that matter. She was better then Melissa, but that wasn't saying a whole lot. 

"Wow," Mao declared as she eyed Kurz's latest culinary creation, "That almost makes me want to follow the instructions on your apron, Weber."

Kurz grinned. He was wearing a 'Kiss the cook' apron, for obvious reasons.

"Really?" he asked.

Melissa looked at him.

"I said 'almost,'" she reminded him. Weber sighed. Souko picked up a pair of chopsticks.

"You look tired, Souko," Mao commented as she prepared to dig in. Souko shook her head.

"I'm fine. It's not a problem."

Mao wasn't entirely convinced.

"You're been pushing yourself pretty hard the last few days. You can't have been getting more then a few hours of sleep a night."

Souko shrugged.

"I have a job to do."

Mao nodded.

"Yes, but you won't be able to do it very effectively if you get sick."

Kurz was in agreement with Mao.

"Tomorrow is Sunday, Souko. Why don't you stay in bed? Big sister and I can watch Kaname for you."

Souko shook her head.

"I can't do that. I have a duty to perform."

Mao swallowed a mouthful of spaghetti.

"Screw that. I'm not going to have you get sick in the middle of an Op. You're staying in bed tomorrow, Souko. That's an order."

Souko nodded her head.

"Yes, Sergeant Major."

Mao smiled at her.

"Good."

She looked down at the plate of noodles on the table.

"This is good Weber. What did you put in it?"

Kurz shrugged.

"Oh, nothing much. Just what we happened to have around. In other words vegetables and canned crab."

Mao paused with her chopsticks halfway to her mouth.

"Canned crab? Wait a minute…"

Her eyes widened.

"Weber, you used my canned crab? I was going to serve that as part of dinner tomorrow night! Now I'm going to need to go shopping again!"

Weber laughed nervously.

"Um, sorry…"

Mao was in no mood to be pacified.

"Baka!" she yelled. "Baka baka baka baka!"

Kurz cringed as Mao yelled.

"Your Japanese is improving, big sister…"

XXXX

It was sunny out on Sunday as Kaname and a group of her friends walked among the shops of one of Tokyo's commercial streets.

"Hey Kana-chan, are you going to buy a new swimsuit for the school trip?" Kyouko asked. Kaname nodded vigorously.

"Of course!" she replied, "We're going to Okinawa, after all! I'd be embarassed if all I had to wear was my school swimsuit!"

"You don't have your own swimsuit?" Shiori asked. Kaname blushed.

"Well, I do, but it's… getting a little tight on me."

Maya smirked. She was a bit jealous of Kaname's figure, and this was a perfect chance to get back at her friend for being better developed then she was.

"I warned you against eating at that burger place too often!"

Kaname gritted her teeth.

"I don't think you should be talking until you manage to best me in PE class at least once, Maya!" she shot back. That quieted Maya down for a moment, but Shiori soon drew her back into the fray.

"Hey Maya, which style of swimsuit do you think Souko prefers? One piece or two piece?"

Maya tilted her head to one side as she pretended to be deep in thought.

"Hmmm. Definitely two piece."

Kaname fought to keep her exasperation from showing on her face. Ever since she's brought Souko into her inner circle, her friends had been teasing her mercilessly about her 'love-love relationship' with the other girl. She knew they were just joking around, but it was starting to get on her nerves.

"Alright then. We find Kaname a sexy two piece."

Kaname could literally hear the grinding of her own teeth.

"I told you, there is nothing going on between me and Souko!"

Shiori grinned.

"Yes, of course there's nothing going on between you and Souko," she replied in a way that implied that she thought there was. Maya patted Kaname on the shoulder.

"There there, Kaname, there's no need to be shy. We're your friends, we all support you and Souko's love."

"What love? Souko and I are just:friends."

Shaori nodded her head dismissively.

"Right right, of course you are. Here, how 'bout this one? I'll bet Souko would _love_ it."

Kaname turned to a nearby shop window, then turned absolutely beet red as she took in the sight of a very revealing red bikini –the type that had to tied on with laces.

"No! No way! Absolutely not!"

"But Kaname, don't you want to look sexy for Souko?" Maya asked with a leer. Kaname flushed even redder.

"No! No I do not!"

"But Kaname…"

The argument might have gone on for some time had it not been interrupted by a nervous looking but very handsome foreign man.

"Excuse me, but could you girls help me? I'm a little bit lost."

Kaname seized onto the escape route provided by the stranger like a castaway seizing onto a piece of driftwood.

"Yes, of course. What are you trying to find?"

"I'm looking for a place called Karaoke-Kan. One of my friends told me I should go there while I was in Tokyo. It's apparently in this district, but I forgot to bring his instructions on how to get there."

Kaname nodded.

"Well, Karaoke-Kan is actually a chain, not a single establishment, but there is one in this district. My friends and I have been there a couple of times."

"Really? That's great. Can you give me some directions then?"

Kaname laughed.

"I could try, but the route from here to there is a bit on the complicated side. Perhaps it would be best if I showed you the way."

The handsome foreigner's face lit up.

"That would be wonderful! You Japanese girls are so helpful!"

Kaname blushed at the praise she was receiving.

"It's nothing. Why don't we head over-"

Maya and Shaori grabbed hold of Kaname's arms before she could take a single step down the street.

"You're not getting out of this that easily!"

The foreigner studied Kaname and her friends, his face a picture of confusion.

"Um… Is there a problem?"

"Nope. No problem at all," Maya replied sweetly. "Kaname will be with you just as soon as we've made sure that her new swimsuit fits properly."

Kaname struggled to free herself from Maya and Shiori's clutches, but her friends had solid holds on her arms and shoulders.

"I can try that swimsuit on later. We shouldn't keep him waiting."

"It'll take a lot of time if we come back here later, and it'll only take a few minutes now. I'm sure the nice gentleman won't mind waiting that long."

Maya smiled at Kurz.

"You don't mind waiting a couple minutes, do you?"

Kurz, who was enjoying himself immensely, smiled right back.

"Of course not. After all, you wonderful ladies are already going out of your way to help me."

Kyouko clapped her hands.

"Alright then, it's settled!"

Kaname shot her best friend a glare.

_You traitor!_

She struggled harder to break free from Maya and Shiori, but the grip the two of them had on her was too strong to get out of without causing a scene.

"There's no point in doing this! I am not buying that bathing suit!"

Kyouko grinned maliciously.

"That's okay. It's not that expensive. We'll buy it for you!"

_"No!"_

As Kyouko snapped a picture of Kaname's horrified expression, Kurz made a show of studying the swimsuits in the store's window display.

"Is your friend looking for a new swimsuit?" he enquired.

Kyouko nodded.

"Yes. We have a class trip to Okinawa coming up soon, and she needs a new one. The one she currently has is getting to small for her, and it looks like something a middle schooler would wear. Now that she's all grown up she needs something sex-y."

Kurz grinned.

"Sexy, hmmm? For a girl like her, it's got to be this one."

He pointed to the skimpy red bikini, and Kyouko squealed with delight.

"See Kana-chan! Even _he_ thinks you should get this one!"

"Yeah, well, what would a man know about girl's swimsuits?" Kaname shot back irritably. Kurz shrugged his shoulders.

"In my case, a decent amount. I used to be a model, after all."

Kaname's first question upon hearing that statement was how exactly Kurz's modelling career would have given him any sort of knowledge at all about _women's swimsuits_, but her friends didn't seem to be worrying about that.

"You were a model?" Maya asked. Kurz nodded his head.

"Yep. Most of my work was for small scale publications, but I got featured in some of the big name magazines a couple times. I was even in Esquire once."

"You were! Cool! Hey, maybe you could help me pick my swimsuit too!"

Kurz laughed.

"Sure. I've got time to, I'm not in any rush. In fact, I could help you all pick out swimsuits if you wanted."

"Really!" Shiori squealed.

"Yes really. You girls are being nice enough to help me, it's the least I can do to pay you back."

At that moment, the cell phone Kurz had in his jacket pocket went off. Smiling and waving, he briefly excused himself.

"Excuse me a minute, it seems I have to take a call. Don't worry, I won't be long."

He took a few steps away from Kaname and her friends, then flipped open the phone, which was in reality a discreet way for him to communicate with his squadmates.

"Hello?"

Mao's voice on the other end sounded distinctly displeased.

"Just what the hell do you think you're doing?" she hissed. Kurz shrugged.

"Just my job."

"You're job is to guard Kaname, not gawk at her in a swimsuit."

"Yeah, well, I have to get close in order to guard her, right? What better way to do that then to get involved with what she's doing?"

Mao couldn't argue with that logic. She sighed.

"Fine. Just make sure you stay focused on the mission."

Kurz grinned.

"Roger that. By the way, you're welcome to join us if you want. I could even introduce you as my girlfriend."

Mao snorted.

"In your dreams, Weber. Now get back to work."

"With pleasure."

Kurz flipped the phone closed and turned back towards the store Kaname and her friends had stopped outside of. Only Kyouko remained on the sidewalk. He blinked.

"Did the others go inside already?" he enquired. Kyouko nodded.

"Yep. Maya and Shiori decided that Kana-chan should try on the swimsuit you suggested while we were waiting for you."

Kurz sighed mournfully.

"What a pity. I was hoping to see how she looked in it."

Kyouko grinned and held up her little camera.

"Don't worry. You'll still get a chance. I told Maya to make sure Kana-chan kept the swimsuit on until I had a chance to take a picture."

Kurz grinned.

"Right on!"

This was going to be the best mission ever!

XXXX

Souko was a girl who had odd sleeping habits.

For one thing, she didn't always sleep on her bed. Instead, she sometimes slept under it in order to reduce the possibility of being detected by an intruder. She also typically kept a loaded handgun under her pillow, a measure that some people found understandable. What some of them found less understandable was her tendency to sleep with an assault rifle next to her.

It was just after dark on Sunday night when Souko heard a loud thump on the apartment's balcony. Suddenly alert, the young soldier grabbed hold of the suppressed pistol she kept under her pillow and listened, straining to detect any noise while her eyes adjusted to the light. When they had finally done so, she took action.

Exchanging the P226 she'd been grasping for her customised Steyr AUG, Souko rolled silently out from under her bed and came to her feet. Working the weapon's charging handle as quietly as she could, the young soldier made her way to the doorway that separated the dining area from the room she shared with Mao and peered out, alert for any sign of the enemy. Seeing none, she made her way stealthily across the room and took up position just next to the balcony door, where she paused to listen for a few seconds. She couldn't quite tell what was going on outside, but she thought she heard someone's breathing.Deciding quickly on a course of action, she gripped her AUG firmly with her right hand, took hold of the door handle with her left, and then flipped the lock, threw open the door, twisted her way through the gap between the curtain and the doorframe, and stepped out onto the balcony, all in the space of about a second.

Shinji Kazuma never stood a chance.

One moment, the boy was grabbing a piece of lingerie from a clothesline, the next moment he was confronted by the sight of a half-dressed Souko Sagara coming at him with an assault rifle. Normally, the sight of a girl wearing little more than a lengthy pyjama top would have held his attention for a moment before he grew uncomfortable and looked away, but that evening was an exception. Mainly because he soon found himself with his face against the floorboards.

Lashing out with a powerful kick, Souko struck Shinji hard in the stomach, knocking him back against the balcony railing before raising her AUG to shoulder level and using the weapon's scope to check a few likely sniper spots. Finding them empty, she grabbed hold of the stunned boy's shirt and threw him to the deck before he could recover.

"Don't move," she ordered as she stood over him, weapon at the ready. Her index finger was outside the Steyr's trigger guard, but that was simply a precautionary measure to prevent an accidental discharge –it was something she could change in a heartbeat.

"Don't shoot!" Shinji squealed. Souko glared down at him and planted her foot in the middle of his back.

"Be quiet," the young soldier ordered coldly. When Shinji had complied with her command, she removed her foot from his back and crouched down.

"Don't try anything," she told him. "If you do, I may have to hurt you."

Placing her rifle next to her on the balcony, Souko began to check Shinji for weapons, using her own weight to keep him pinned down as she did so. Eventually she found the boy's student ID in his back pocket: Shinji Kazama, Age Sixteen, Jindai Municipal High School. Second Year, Class Four. Souko blinked in surprise before she pulled the ski mask Shinji was wearing down over his eyes and put him in a headlock.

"Come with me," she ordered, pulling the boy to his feet and pressing the barrel of her AUG up against his side. The lengthy weapon was rather awkward in that position, but she would make do with it for the time being, as she did not want to leave it behind. Thankfully, Shinji didn't resist as he was led into Souko's room and handcuffed to the frame of her cot.

"I will be back shortly," Souko informed Shinji, "In the meantime, I would suggest that you remain silent."

With that, she left the room and did a quick situation check. A scan of the area with the security cameras set up to monitor Kaname's apartment revealed nothing, as did a search from the balcony. The door to the apartment was securely locked and all the indicators on the security system were normal. The only thing out of place was the pair of panties that Shinji had taken off the clothesline and subsequently dropped. Unsure of what to make of those, Souko decided to take them with her when she returned to her captive.

"You may speak," she informed Shinji once she'd taken a seat on a storage chest. Her captured classmate began to babble almost immediately.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm really, really sorry!"

The poor boy was close to tears, but that didn't stop Souko from rising up and glaring down at him.

"You may speak _quietly,_" she told him. His voice immediately dropped to a more acceptable level.

"I'm sorry. Please don't call the police."

Souko grimaced. She wasn't about to do that. Not with how many weapons her and her squadmates were storing in their apartment.

"I don't want to get the authorities involved," she informed Shinji as she sat down again, "but I do want to know what you were doing on my balcony."

Shinji looked down at the floor. That wasn't something he wanted to talk about.

"I was, well…"

"Look at me," Souko told him. Shinji raised his eyes, only to develop an urge to lower them again.

"Um…"

Souko hadn't completely buttoned up her pyjama top, and while she might have been comfortable with that, Shinji certainly wasn't. He began to sweat.

"I was coming to steal panties!" he blurted nervously. He began to lower his gaze, but soon raised it again. Souko wasn't wearing any pyjama bottoms -likely as a means to maintain easy access to the thigh holstered P228 she was still wearing- and he didn't need another reminder of why he was there.

"Are you telling me you came here to steal undergarments?" Souko demanded. Shinji cringed.

"Yes! I'm sorry! I did it because I wanted my photos back."

"Your photos?"

Shinji nodded.

"Yes! My Arm Slave photos. One of the older boys in the Photo Club took them from me. He said he would only give them back if I stole a pair of your panties. Either yours or Kaname's."

Souko looked at Shinji.

"I see. Do you know why he was after a pair of girl's undergarments?"

"Um…" Shinji blushed furiously. "I have some ideas, but nothing concrete…"

He trailed off. If Souko wanted to hear his theories on that issue, she'd have to force them out of him. There was no way he was just going to tell them to her. Thankfully, she didn't seem to want to press the point.

"Too bad. It's difficult to analyse a threat if one does not know its intentions."

She paused for a moment.

"Your story seems credible, but there is one weakness."

Shinji blinked.

"What's that?" he asked. Souko took hold of the pair of lingerie that sat next to her.

"You say you came to steal my panties. However, these are not my panties."

Shinji's eyes widened.

"They aren't?"

Souko nodded.

"That is correct. They belong to Sergeant Major Mao."

"Sergeant Major Mao?"

Souko inwardly berated herself for her slip up.

"Pardon me. I was referring to Melissa Mao. She is my roommate. I call her Sergeant Major because she is the one who is in charge here."

Shinji was surprised.

"You have a roommate?"

"Two roommates. However, that is not relevant to the topic at hand."

Shinji nodded vigorously.

"I see. Well, the fact of the matter is, I didn't know you had roommates. I assumed that all the underwear I saw on the clothesline out there was yours, so I just chose the fanciest pair of panties I could find. I figured Ichita would be more likely to give back my photos if I got a fancy pair."

Souko nodded.

"I am beginning to see your reasoning. However, I should point out that unlike my superior, I do not wear fancy, impractical undergarments. All my underclothes are strictly functional in nature."

Shinji nodded.

"I can see that," he said, then blushed furiously. Had he actually just said that? What had gotten into him? His face felt like it was burning up. Worse yet, Souko's state of dress was beginning to get to him, and his body was starting to react in a particularly embarrassing manner. He hoped Souko didn't notice.

There was a slight sound from the corridor outside the apartment.

"Be quiet," Souko ordered as she rose to her feet. Picking up her Steyr, the young mercenary made her way out into the entrance hall and waited to see who came through the door. She didn't have to wait very long.

"We're home!" Kurz Weber announced in a very loud voice as he stumbled into the entryway, a rather irritated Melissa Mao in tow. The blond haired sniper's cheeks were bright red, and his breath reeked of alcohol.

Souko lowered her rifle.

"Have you been drinking on duty?" she demanded. While the question had been directed at Kurz, it was Mao who answered.

"He picked her up," she declared angrily, "He f---ing picked her up. I can't believe it. I've never even _heard _of something like that before."

"Picked her up?" Souko asked, "You mean he had contact with the target?"

Kurz shrugged.

"Yeah," he answered, "I figured that was better then trying to sneak around the way you've been doing. More fun too. Kana-chan an-"

Souko held up her hand.

"Don't talk about that right now. We have company."

Kurz looked Souko up and down, noting what his younger squadmate was wearing. He leered.

"Really?" he asked. "What sort of company?"

"Uninvited company," Souko answered.

"Uninvited company? That's interesting. Where is he? Or is it a she?"

Kurz had a rather perverted grin on his face as he spoke.

"It's a he," Souko answered, "and he's in my quarters."

"Your quarters, huh?"

Kurz walked out of the entryway and looked into Mao and Souko's room. Seeing Shinji and the state he was in, he grinned and called out to his squadmate in Japanese.

"Woah, imouto-chan, I didn't know you were into bondage."

Shinji felt his cheeks start to grow warm.

_It can't get much worse then this,_ he told himself. He was wrong.

"Also, I think he's got a gun in his pants."

Shinji flushed beet red. If there was one thing worse then Souko taking note of his reaction to her state of dress herself, it was having someone else point it out to her.

Souko looked surprised by Kurz's statement.

"Really? I thought I'd checked for that."

As she spoke, Souko slipped into the room and advanced on Shinji. Shinji wondered what she was doing.

_She's not going to… she can't be thinking off…_

He was saved from further unpleasantness by Mao's timely arrival on the scene.

"I think he's just happy to see you, Souko," the Sergeant Major told her subordinate in English, "You have nothing to worry about." The look she shot Kurz indicated that _he_ had something to worry about though. Souko nodded.

"That's good to know. Still, I should…"

"It's not necessary Souko. Trust me."

"Yes, Sergeant Major."

Although he couldn't understand all of what Mao and Souko were saying, Shinji was quite relieved when it appeared that Souko wasn't going to search him again. His feeling of calm was short lived however, as he was soon faced with a rather angry Mao.

"Souko, what is this piece of my lingerie doing in here?" she demanded, "I thought I'd put it on the clothesline to dry."

Souko nodded.

"Yes, Sergeant Major, you did."

"Then what is it doing in here?"

"The prisoner was trying to steal it, Sergeant Major. He thought it was mine."

"He what?" Mao demanded. Kurz whistled.

"Whoo! So someone went after big sister's underwear, did they? Just wait 'til the guys back on the De Danaan hear this! I'll-"

Mao grabbed hold of Weber's collar, then shoved him against the nearest wall and held up her fist in a threatening fashion.

"Weber, if you breath a word of this to anyone on the De Danaan, that pretty face of yours is never going to look pretty again. Do I make myself clear?"

Under other circumstances Kurz might have tried to come up with some sort of witty comeback, but he knew Mao well enough to tell when she was in no mood for frippery. Besides, it wasn't like saying that she'd made herself clear meant that he was actually going to keep his mouth shut.

"Yes Sergeant Major, you've made yourself _very_ clear," the blonde sharpshooter replied, giving Mao a good whiff of his alcohol laden breath as he did so. Mao nodded.

"Good."

Turning back to Shinji, Mao put on her best glare.

"Now young man," she declared in her somewhat imperfect Japanese, "would you mind telling me why you wanted to steal Souko's panties?"

Shinji gulped.

"I'm not the one who wants them," he told Mao truthfully, "I was just stealing them so that my Photo Club sempais would give me my negatives back."

Mao crossed her arms.

"I see. And just what makes those negatives so important that you're willing to steal a girl's panties to get them back?"

Shinji grimaced.

"They're my Arm Slave photos," he told Mao, "I took them when I was travelling to a bunch of different bases with my dad. I've even got pictures of the Marine Corps. M6s stationed in Okinawa."

There was silence for a moment, then Mao burst out laughing.

"Oooh, this is good," she declared in English. "Have you considered asking him out on a date, Souko? I think you two might get along quite well."

Souko shook her head.

"I don't believe I have, Sergeant Major. Should I?"

Mao shrugged.

"I suppose not. We probably won't be in Tokyo for very long. But if we are..."

She left it hanging. Souko nodded.

"Affirmative. If we remain stationed in Tokyo for a considerable length of time, then I will consider asking my classmate out on a date, whatever that is."

Mao burst out laughing, and it was some time before she was able to speak again.

"That wasn't an order, Souko. It was just a suggestion."

The Sergeant Major turned to look at Shinji.

"Anyway, our intruder doesn't appear to be hostile, so we should probably let him go. Does he live around here?"

"I'm not entirely sure. I've never had the opportunity to learn where he lives."

"I see. Do you live close to here, Mr. Panty Thief?"

Shinji blushed and nodded.

"I live reasonably close to here. I can get home on foot, at any rate."

Mao grimaced.

"Are you sure it's safe for you to be out there alone at this time of night?"

Shinji shrugged.

"I'll manage."

Before Mao could raise an objection, Souko volunteered a solution to the problem.

"I can escort him home if you like, Sergeant Major. I haven't had a chance to get out much today, and I could use the exercise. Besides, it will allow me to make sure he goes straight home."

Mao chuckled at Souko's last statement. The girl was a little bit paranoid!

"Alright, I guess that will work. You might want to get dressed first though."

"Roger that."

Souko began rooting through her clothes as Mao unlocked the handcuffs that were restraining Shinji. The boy rubbed his wrists for a few moments, then rose to his feet. When informed of what the plan was, he seemed a bit concerned.

"Do you think it's safe for Souko to be out after dark like this?" he asked, "I don't want to put her in any danger."

Mao laughed.

"You saw how Souko dealt with you when she thought you might be a threat to her, didn't you? Do you really think there's anything out there that she needs to worry about?"

Shinji chuckled nervously.

"Well, she is pretty tough. But there are some rather shady characters who hang around at night…"

"Souko will be fine," Mao assured her subordinate's classmate. "She grew up in a rough area. She knows how to take care of herself."

_Besides which, she'll be carrying one of her Sigs,_ the Sergeant Major added silently as she watched Souko finish selecting an outfit. Seeing that her subordinate was ready to change, the Sergeant Major motioned to Shinji.

"We should probably give Souko some privacy," she informed him. Shinji nodded his head in agreement, but couldn't help sparing one last glance as he left the room.

XXXX

The air was refreshingly cool that night as Shinji and Souko made their way along the deserted streets between their homes. Despite the near silence, neither of them was particularly eager to try to start a conversation, and they were several blocks away from Souko's apartment before either one of them said anything not relating to the route they were taking.

"You have interesting roommates, Souko," Shinji commented as he tried to break the ice. Souko nodded.

"Yes," she replied.

"Do they normally behave like that?"

"Affirmative."

Shinji sighed. That line of attack was getting him nowhere.

"I'm really sorry about your underwear," he told Souko. "I didn't want to steal it. It's just that my Ichita told me he wouldn't give me back my photos unless I did."

"Understood. It's not a problem."

Shinji looked down at his feet. To him, it was a problem. Without a pair of Souko's panties, he had nothing to get his photos back with.

_What am I going to do now? _he wondered. He was so caught up in his misery that Souko's next words caught him off guard.

"So which AS units do you have pictures of?" she asked. Shinji blinked.

"Oh, all sorts of ones," he replied. "I've travelled to most of the bases in Japan with my dad at one time or another. He's part of the JSDF."

Souko nodded.

"I see."

She paused for a moment.

"Are there any photos in your collection that are particularly notable?" she asked. Shinji shrugged.

"Well, my favourite pictures are probably the ones of the Marine Corps M6s in Okinawa. I know our Type 96s are related to the M6, but they're still something a bit different. Know what I mean?"

Souko nodded. Truth be told, she was far more familiar with the M6 then she was with the Type 96, but she could see where Shinji was coming from.

"Are they A1 or A2 models?" she asked.

"Both," Shinji replied.

"Really? What were they armed with? Were most of them equipped with the standard assault rifles, or did they have a lot of specialised equipment as well?"

"They had some specialised equipment as well. They had a couple units that they'd equipped with shields made of Chobham armour like the type used on the Abrams tanks. They looked pretty heavy, but you can imagine how useful something like that could be under the right circumstances."

"Yeah, although you'd have to be careful not to let the enemy outflank you. If I had something like that, I'd probably want it to be equipped with explosive charges so that it could be jettisoned in an emergency."

"Yeah, I think that's what the people at the base say is one of the major problems with the system. It's difficult to get rid of once it's mounted. Plus it tends to be really hard on the arm mechanisms if it's carried very often."

Shinji and Souko continued on towards the latter's home, chatting about AS related topics all the way. They covered quite a few different subject areas, including sensors, weapons, and control systems. Souko was rather impressed by Shinji's knowledge.

"You know quite a bit about these sorts of things," she commented as they walked. Shinji shrugged.

"Well, as I said, my dad works for the JSDF. So I have a bit of an advantage."

Souko nodded.

"Even so, you've obviously spent a lot of time researching this. I'm quite impressed."

Shinji beamed.

"Really?"

"Yes, really. You were wrong about the A1 sensor upgrades, but most of the rest of your information was correct. I was especially impressed by how much you knew about the A2."

Shinji blushed.

"Thank you."

Souko smiled.

"Would you like my help getting your photos back?" she asked. Shinji glanced at her in surprise.

"Your help?" he asked. Souko nodded.

"Yes. I think I may be able to convince your sempai to give you your photos back."

Shinji grinned.

"That would be great! Although it may be a little difficult to make him give the photos back. Do you think you can do it?"

"I think I can do it. Is there anything I should know about your sempai before I try to confront him?"

What she really meant was "Do you know if he knows any self defence techniques or carries concealed weapons?" but Shinji didn't quite clue in to that fact.

"I don't think so," he answered. "He's a bit of a pervert, but I think that's about it."

Souko nodded.

"Alright then. I shouldn't have any trouble."

Ichita didn't sound like he was much of a threat. She probably wouldn't even need to threaten him with her tactical knife while interrogating him.

Shinji was still blissfully unaware of Souko's intentions.

"Well, I'm glad you think you'll be able to deal with my sempai. Do you think you could talk to him tomorrow? I'd really like to get my photos back before we leave on the trip."

"Affirmative. It's not a problem."

"Thanks a ton. I'll make sure I get you some copies of the M6 photos."

"If it's all right with you, I'd prefer some Type 96 photos. I've already seen quite a few M6s."

"Help me get my photos back, and I'll get you copies of both. I really appreciate this."

"Alright. Thank you."

"No, thank _you_, Souko. You're the one who's helping me get my photo collection back.

Shinji looked at Souko with a keen sense of admiration. The way she talked about it, it almost sounded as if confronting a senior student who had tried to get someone to steel her panties was no big deal.

_She's quite brave. Not to mention she has nice legs…_

Shinji blushed furiously, remembering what Souko had been wearing earlier.

_Some of the other boys in the photo club would probably have killed to be in my position at that point_, he thought to himself. Nevertheless, he decided he wasn't going to brag about the event. Given how much Souko was doing for him, he figured that would be disrespectful.

_She deserves better then that,_ he thought to himself as they turned a street corner. She was truly a remarkable girl.

XXXX

Souko was out taking Shinji home when the dispatch from the De Danaan came in. Seeing as she was the highest ranking officer present –as well as the only one who was even remotely sober- Mao took it upon herself to read it.

"News from home," she informed Kurz as she scanned the document, "The mission is complete. We no longer need to guard Ms. Chidori."

Weber blinked.

"Already? It's only been a few days."

Mao nodded.

"Yes, but apparently Command was able to identify and neutralise the source of the threat. So there's no need for our mission to continue."

Kurz sighed a long, alcohol-laden sigh.

"Pity, and I was just getting to know her too." Melissa ignored that comment.

"We have a week's leave where we are. Souko will have to go on that school trip though. It's already been paid for and Command wants her to make the most of the opportunity."

Kurz grinned.

"If they want to make the most of that opportunity, they should send me."

"You're not a high school student," Mao answered. Despite his drunken state, Kurz took note of her rather disinterested response.

"Is something wrong?" he asked.

Melissa sighed.

"Not really. It's just that I'd hoped Souko would have the opportunity to stay here for a while. I thought living a normal life would be a good experience for her. She could use the social development."

Kurz nodded.

"Yeah, I know what you mean," he replied. Mao walked over to the window and looked out into the darkened street below.

"In a way, I almost wish something would happen that would give Command a reason to keep her here in Japan. I think it would be good for her."

Kurz leaned back in his chair and yawned.

"Be careful what you wish for, big sister. You just might get it."


	5. Detour

Disclaimer

Full Metal Panic! and its associated characters do not belong to me. Full Metal Panic! is copyright Shoji Gatoh.

Chapter Four:  
Detour

_Kaname Chidori would make a good drill sergeant._

That was what Souko Sagara decided as she watched her Class Representative herd the rest of her classmates through Tokyo's Haneda Airport.

"Second year, Class Four, start moving. C'mon people, let's get a move on! Stick together!"

Kaname's classmates cringed as they listened to the young woman bellow. She wasn't at all angry -in fact she was in quite a good mood- but that didn't make her any less loud –or get her any less attention from the other people in the terminal. The girl didn't seem to realise just how many stares she was drawing!

"Hey you at the back there! Pick it up a bit! Don't fall so far behind!"

Souko was the only person who would dare to disturb Kaname when she was in such an ecstasy of enthusiasm.

"Good morning Kaname. May I ask you a question?"

Kaname smiled.

"Of course, Souko. I told you to ask me if you needed help, remember?"

Souko nodded her head.

"I do recall something to that effect," she stated. Kaname giggled.

"That was a rhetorical question, Souko! You weren't supposed to answer it!"

Souko blinked.

"I wasn't?"

Kaname shook her head.

"No, you weren't! You were supposed to ask me your question!"

Souko nodded calmly.

"I see. Well then, I was wondering if I should collect the garbage on the aircraft before landing or after landing."

Kaname burst out laughing.

"Before landing or after landing? You don't need to collect it at all, Souko! The flight attendants will do that."

Souko blinked.

"But isn't it my duty to-"

Kaname laughed again.

"Not 'til after we arrive! You're taking things too literally. Geez!"

She shook her head, then smiled.

"My other friends are up near the front if you want to try to catch up to them. We're hoping to get seats together as a group."

Souko nodded politely.

"That's very kind of you, Kaname. However, I have already accepted an offer to sit with someone else."

Kaname blinked in surprise.

"You have? From whom?"

"Shinji Kazama."

There was silence for a moment as Kaname's expression took a turn for the worse.

"Shinji Kazama?" she finally asked in a flat tone. Souko nodded.

"Yes. Is that a problem?" Kaname smiled and shook her head.

"Nope, not at all!" she replied with a toss of her hair. "I don't care if you sit with Shinji instead of me! I'm glad to see you're making friends!"

Truth be told, she was a little insulted that Souko would chose to sit next to a loser like Shinji instead of sitting next to her, but she wasn't about to tell the other girl that, and Souko didn't seem ready to pick up on it herself.

"Good. Thank you for your help Kaname. I appreciate it very much."

"You're welcome."

Kaname watched as Souko made her way back into the line. She couldn't believe the other girl could be so clueless.

_Oh well, I'm not going to let it ruin my day,_ she thought to herself. _If she wants to sit next to someone like Shinji, that's up to her. Besides, it will be nice to have a break from her for a while. I've been spending a lot of time around her the last few days._

She smiled.

_That's right, _she thought to herself. _Nothing can ruin my day today. Absolutely nothing._

It would be a couple hours before she realised just how wrong she was.

XXXX

Souko began to feel uneasy not long after take off.

It wasn't anything in particular that made her feel that way. There were no obvious signs that anything out of the ordinary was occurring. All throughout the 747's lower deck, students were chatting away happily. Kaname was playing cards with her friends. Shinji was looking over his photo collection. Ichita was trying to forget his encounter with Souko. There was absolutely nothing to indicate that anything untowards was about to happen. And yet, for someone in tune with their instincts, it was clear that something wasn't quite right about the whole affair.

_Something is wrong_, Souko thought to herself as she glanced up and down the aisle next to her seat. She was as straight-faced as ever, yet anyone who bothered to study her could tell that she was intent on something. Being seated right next to her, Shinji was the first one to take note of his fellow student's state of mind. She'd been extremely enthusiastic when he started showing her his Arm Slave photos, but her zeal had waned dramatically by the time he'd reached his halfway point.

Shinji tapped Souko on the shoulder.

"Is something wrong?" he asked. Souko nodded her head.

"Yes," she replied, wrongly assuming that Shinji was responding to his instincts and not her behaviour. Her classmate looked at her.

"What's the problem?" he asked.

"I don't know. I just know something's wrong."

"What do you mean?"

"There's a feeling in my gut that won't go away."

Shinji looked at Souko.

"A feeling in your gut? Could it be airsickness?"

Souko shook her head.

"Negative. I don't get airsick."

"Maybe you should see the school nurse then."

Souko considered that course of action for a moment, then shook her head. While her orders to protect Kaname were technically no longer in effect, she imagined her superiors would wish her to proceed as if they were. That meant she had to keep an eye on the other girl, and she couldn't do that very easily if she was elsewhere on the aircraft.

"I don't think that will be necessary," Souko told Shinji. Shinji studied her carefully.

"Are you sure?" he asked, "It's probably best if-"

"I'm sure," Souko replied firmly. It was clear that she would brook no argument on the matter. Shinji grimaced.

"O-kay…"

Yanagida, who was sitting beside Shinji at a window seat, leaned in and whispered in the other boy's ear.

"Maybe it's 'That time of month,'" he suggested with a grin. Shinji blushed.

"Um…"

"No it's not," Souko replied in a matter of fact tone. Yanagida started. Shinji winced. An uncomfortable silence reigned for over a minute before the latter finally spoke.

"So, um, Souko, did you want to see the rest of my photo collection?" he managed awkwardly. Souko nodded.

"Of course." In actual fact she no longer had much interest in seeing the rest of Shinji's photos, but she did want to keep her classmate calm.

_If he starts to panic, others could start to panic. I need to keep them calm. _

Taking a few moments to glance up and down the aisle, Souko soon returned her attention to Shinji's photo collection. As of yet there was no sign of the enemy. All she could do was wait.

XXXX

Since he was the one seated closest to the window –and because he was also trying to forget his faux pas with Souko and Shinji- it was no surprise that Yanagida was the first to spot the sleek looking grey and blue fighter aircraft that appeared on the 747's port side. Curious as to what it was, he motioned to his companions.

"Hey, take a look out there!"

The two other students looked out the window. Shinji's eyes widened in surprise.

"That's a United Nations F-39C Griffon! What's it doing here?"

Given her militaristic tendencies, Souko seemed surprisingly disinterested in the fighter jet's arrival.

"It's probably out here for a training exercise," she told her companions. She knew better then to believe that, however. A UN Air Force fighter would never fly so close to a civilian aircraft if it was just out on a training exercise. That left only one explanation: their flight had been hijacked. And Souko was pretty sure she knew why.

Glancing up and down the length of the cabin, the young soldier paused for a moment when her eyes fell upon Kaname. The other girl appeared to be laughing at a joke Mayuko had just made. There was a big smile on her face.

As had happened many times in the past, a sudden blaze of anger burst out of the deepest depths of Souko's soul.

_Why her? _she demanded silently,_ Why them? What have they done to deserve to be hunted like this? What?_

The fire of those questions was extinguished a moment later, but it left hot embers buried beneath the ash.

XXXX

While the arrival of the UN F-39 early in the flight caused only a small stir aboard the 747, the appearance of a second and rather different fighter-interceptor came close to causing a full blown panic.

The event occurred shortly after the Griffon had peeled off and the 747 had started to fly over a mountainous region. Unannounced, two very large, very aggressive looking warplanes appeared next to the airliner, one on either side of it. They were painted in a blue camouflage pattern, and they sported red stars on their wings and rudders. Their underwing and underbody weapons pylons bristled with a formidable array of air to air missiles.

"Woah!" Mayuko exclaimed as one of the newcomers took up position next to the 747 on the port side. "Take a look at this, Kyouko. There's another fighter plane out there."

Kaname –who had overheard Mayuko's statement but who was also a bit 'militaried out' thanks to time spent with Souko- tried to ignore the new discovery.

"Are you sure it's not the same one we saw earlier?" she asked. Mayuko nodded.

"Yeah, I'm definitely sure this one isn't the one we saw earlier."

"Hmmmph."

Kaname's response was less then enthusiastic, and it was left to Kyouko to make an observation about the new plane.

"Hey, aren't those Soviet markings?" she asked, noting the red stars. Mayuko nodded.

"Yeah, I think so…"

"What?" Kaname demanded, suddenly interested in what her friends saw. Glancing out the window, she confirmed Kyouko and Mayuko's observations.

_What's going on? _she wondered, then -noting the state of the terrain below them- she though of another question.

_Better yet, where the hell are we?_

A few rows back, Souko and Shinji were also being made aware of the newcomer's presence.

"Hey guys, there's another one out there," Yanagida informed his travelling companions. Shinji gasped when he got a look at the new fighter.

"That's a Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker!" he exclaimed in a voice loud enough to be heard several rows away. Souko nodded her head.

"It appears that you are right," she replied. Excited chatter broke out in the row in front of them and began to spread like wildfire through the cabin. Shinji stared at the Russian-built aircraft.

"What's a Soviet fighter doing all the way out here?" he wondered aloud. Souko didn't answer. There wasn't really anything she could say to defuse the situation.

At that moment, a chime was heard from the cabin speakers. It was quickly followed by the sound of someone's voice.

"Attention all passengers, this is your Captain speaking. We have encountered a slight navigational difficulty which may require us to make an unscheduled landing. Please remain calm while we work to resolve the situation."

The voice was speaking in Japanese, and as such it was difficult for Souko to place it, but she was sure recognised it from somewhere. She just wasn't sure where. A chill shot up her spine.

_Where have I heard that voice before? _she wondered. She didn't spend too long worrying about that issue however. She had other things to consider, such as the lack of flight attendants.

To most people, the absence of such personnel would not have seemed like a big deal, but that was because most people didn't realise what a lack of flight attendants implied in a situation like the one Souko was in. It implied that the enemy was aware of the potential that the cabin crew –intimately familiar with the airliner's operations and the route it flew- could notice something was wrong, and had taken steps to deal with them. It also implied that the hijackers were quite familiar with the layout of the target aircraft and possessed considerable skill. They could never have managed to get rid of the flight attendants otherwise. It would have led to exactly the sort of panic-spreading situation they wanted to avoid.

_Whoever I'm dealing with, they're professionals,_ Souko realised as she considered the facts. Not only that, but they probably weren't terrorists. More likely they were members of some kind of intelligence agency. And if they were members of an intelligence agency…

Souko looked straight ahead, towards where she knew Kaname to be seated. She no longer had any doubts about what her enemies were after. The question now was how she should proceed. Her mission to protect Kaname had been terminated, but that had occurred while her commanders were under the illusion that they'd neutralised the threat to the other girl. Souko didn't know why her superiors were so worried about Kaname, but they had seen fit to deploy a multimillion dollar M9 and three highly trained soldiers to ensure her safety. They obviously considered her extremely valuable.

_I'll proceed as if my previous orders were still in effect,_ Souko decided as the Su-27's pilot let the gap between his plane and the 747 widen slightly. She was alone, unarmed, and in the dark, but that didn't scare her. She'd been in bad situations before. She's always managed to get out of them somehow. The trick was to remain calm.

Once again, all she could do was wait.

XXXX

The final destination of the wayward flight was a military airfield built next to a massive inland lake. That gave Souko a good idea where they were, but she kept silent. Her companions would know what was going on soon enough.

With its Sukhoi-built escorts at a discreet distance behind, the 747 glided down to the runway and made an unusually hard landing, startling its passengers with a sudden jolt as its wheels touched the tarmac. Air brakes deployed, the aircraft rolled to a stop, coming to rest a short distance from a row of jet fighters that bore strange markings. Shinji took an immediate interest in the aircraft.

"Hey Souko, take a look, there's a bunch of Migs out there by the side of the runway. The ones closest to us are Mig-29s, but most of the rest look like old Mig-21s. I wonder what they're doing here. I didn't think the Soviets used them any more."

"They don't," Souko replied flatly. Shinji blinked.

"That's what I though too, but then why are there so many of them here?"

"Because we're not in Soviet territory anymore."

Shinji turned to Souko in surprise.

"Huh?" he enquired. Souko indicated the markings on the parked fighters.

"Take a look at the symbols on their wings and rudders. They aren't Soviet."

Shinji squinted at the aircraft, then nodded.

"You're right, they aren't. But whose are they then?"

Souko was about to answer her classmate's question when the cabin speakers came on.

"Attention all passengers," the voice she'd heard earlier announced, "I'm temporarily in charge of this aircraft. We're just made an unscheduled landing at a military base in the Xinkai Autonomous Region. Since this is such a dangerous place that we've ended up in, I'm afraid there are some rules I'm going to have to ask you to follow. If I could have your attention for a moment please."

The voice paused for a moment so that the students could focus on it. It then resumed its speech.

"First of all, no matter what happens, none of you are to leave this aircraft without my permission. Take a look outside."

Still unaware of the danger they were in, the students turned to look out the cabin windows. What they found themselves confronted with was a large force of Xinkai infantry backed by Tanks, Armoured Personnel Carriers, and Arm Slaves. The presence of the former and the latter elements was particularly disconcerting, as they carried enough firepower to make short work of a grounded airliner.

"Those are Xinkai troops," the voice continued, "They don't know what's going on. They're probably rather nervous. They're definitely heavily armed. Any guesses what they'll do to you if you try to escape?"

The students glanced around in confusion. What was going on? They couldn't understand why they were being asked such a question. The voice on the speakers turned gleeful.

"They'll shoot you, that's what! And so will my men, if you don't do as you're told."

Cries of alarm echoed through the interior of the cabin. Souko wondered what the hijacker's intentions were. Why had he made such an effort to keep the passengers from panicking while they were in the air, only to work them into a frenzy after the airliner had landed?

It didn't make sense. Was he just being sadistic?

"Look down the aisles," the speaker ordered. Souko had wanted to do that for a while, but she waited until her classmates had begun to follow the order before she did so herself. When she did, she got her first glimpse of the enemy.

Two nondescript men were standing in the narrow corridor between the seats. Both were dressed in business suits. They appeared to be foreigners, but that didn't really make them stand out very much given their dress. In fact, nothing made them stand out very much. Nothing, that was, except for the guns they were pointing at the students.

A quick glance across the cabin showed another heavily armed man in the opposite aisle. The voice on the speakers continued.

"These gentleman are my business associates. I want you to show them your full co-operation. Otherwise they may have to shoot a few of you as an example to the others."

The speaker in the cockpit yawned.

"That's all for now. I expect I'll be entering into negotiations with the Xinkai government soon. You all be good little hostages while I'm gone, okay?"

The cabin speakers shut off, leaving mass devastation in their wake. All throughout the cabin frightened students were cowering in their seats, scarcely daring to move. One girl –whom Souko had marked as being of a particularly timid nature- was openly crying, tears streaming down her face as she quivered with fear. Souko ignored her plight. She couldn't afford to get emotional.

_They'll be coming for her soon,_ the young soldier predicted as she remembered her mission to protect Kaname. She was right on that account. It wasn't long before the enemy leader appeared. And when he did, Souko couldn't help but be shocked.

XXXX

_He's supposed to be dead._

Those were the first words that entered Souko's mind when a very tall, very well dressed, and very poorly groomed man appeared in the aisle, accompanied by two armed escorts. He appeared to be of Asian origin, but it was difficult to tell exactly which country he hailed from. He looked like he might be Chinese, but he could also have been Vietnamese or Cambodian –it was difficult to tell in his case. He was quite tall compared to most of the other passengers, with a solid build and powerful looking arms. Even Souko –who was taller then most of her peers- was quite small in comparison.

_What's he doing here?_ The young soldier's panicking mind demanded. _I though he died in Yugoslavia. I saw him take a bullet to the head. There's no way he could have survived a shot like that!_

Seeing the newcomer heading towards her seat, Souko quickly lowered her head. She didn't want him to identify her.

_Hopefully he won't recognise me by my scar, _she thought to herself, painfully aware of the mark on her cheek, which was a souvenir of the last incident in which they had encountered each other. If he realised who she was, she'd probably be taken prisoner or simply killed outright. Either outcome would hinder her ability to act.

The footsteps that marked the newcomer's approach stopped a few seats in front of Souko, and his voice could be heard as he spoke to one of the other passengers.

"Hello young lady. What's your name?"

There was a brief pause before Kaname's hesitant reply could be heard.

"Uh… Kaname Chidori."

"Hmmm… that's a very pretty name. It suits you."

"Um…"

Kaname appeared to be having some trouble coming up with a response.

"I'd like you to come with me, Ms. Chidori."

"Um… why?" Kaname asked nervously.

"Because I'm making a videotape to send to the media, and I want you to be in it."

Kaname shrunk back into her seat.

"Do I have to be? I don't think I'd be a good choice for something like that…"

The expression on the man she was speaking to suddenly darkened, and he grabbed Kaname's arm in a vice like grip.

"Yes. You have to come with me."

Kaname winced and tried to free her arm from the man's grasp.

"But…"

"No buts. If you don't co-operate, you and your friends are going to regret it."

That silenced Kaname, who -having already been pulled halfway out of her seat- stood up and prepared to be led to wherever it was the hijackers intended for her to go. Ms. Kagurazaka had other ideas, however.

"Where are you taking her?" Kaname's teacher demanded from several rows further forward. Her back perfectly straight, the instructor was standing in the aisle between the seats, her eyes defiant. The target of her wrath turned to face her, his expression calm.

"I already told you, I want her to be in a videotape I'm doing for the media. I'll return her when we're done filming that."

Ms. Kagurazaka was not pacified.

"No you won't!" she declared angrily, "If you're going to take anyone, take me! Not one of my students. Not a child."

The hijacker snorted.

"Don't be ridiculous. This if for the media. It wouldn't make sense for me to use you."

"That's bullshit!" Miss Kagurazaka yelled, shocking her both herself and her students in the process. "Just who do you think you are, you scum? Using a high school student for something like this. Do you think your cause justifies that? Do you? Do you-"

The hijacker's draw was almost too fast to see. One moment his face was darkening as he listened to Miss Kagurazaka's rant, the next moment a CZ75 pistol was in his hand, seemingly having appeared from nowhere. There was a barely audible click as he deactivated the weapon's safety.

"Have you ever thought that maybe you should just shut up?" he demanded as he watched a shocked expression appear on his target's face. "Geez, you and the girl here -you're both so stubbornly uncooperative. I should make an example of you."

Miss Kagurazaka's mouth opened slightly, but no words came out. Kaname stared wide-eyed at the scene unfolding in front of her.

"Sensei…"

A loud clatter from behind them caused the hijacker's leader to spin around, his weapon at the ready. His subordinates were also quick to move, bringing their guns to bear on the site of the disturbance with the speed of serious professionals.

Souko's face was barely visible as she peered around the edge of the seat in front of her.

"My apologies," she said softly before crouching down and beginning to gather up the contents of the tray she'd just knocked over. She positioned herself at an angle towards the leader of the hijackers, but even so, there was something about her that caught the man's attention.

"You," he declared, glaring and aiming his gun at Souko. "Come here."

Still crouching in the aisle between the seats, Souko hesitated, unsure of how she should proceed. A shot rang out.

_Bam._

The CZ75's booming report echoed through the 747's interior, incredibly loud in such a confined space. A single shell casing struck the wall of the cabin, then fell to the floor, rolling to a stop next to Kyouko. Shocked by the blatant show of force, Souko's wide-eyed classmates peered around the edges of their seats to see if she was all right.

The young soldier remained crouching by her fallen tray, but there was now an intense look on her face as she matched her enemy's gaze. In front of her, perhaps a foot from her ankle, a hole had appeared in the carpeting that covered the cabin floor. The man confronting her brandished his gun.

"I said_come here_."

Not awed in the least by the hijacker's attempt to intimidate her, Souko rose to her feet and walked slowly down the corridor, her posture firm as she advanced. Her heart was beating at an insane rate, but there was no hint of fear on her face, only a look that spoke of an iron resolve. Her classmates stared at her in admiration as she approached her enemy. When she was a foot away from him she stopped. He stared down at her.

"Look at me."

Placing his free hand under Souko's jaw, the hijacker tilted her head back, raising her line of site until he was staring her right in the eye. She did not flinch. Her opponent's piercing gaze would have been enough to frighten even the bravest of souls, but she met it with one of equal determination, almost daring him to make the connection he knew he should be making.

There was something about her. The question was, what was it?

For almost a full half minute, silence reigned in the 747's cabin. Students scarcely dared to breathe as they watched the tense stand off. None of them understood exactly what was going on, but they all knew that it had an incredible potential for violence. Only the arrival of one of the hijacker's associates prevented the confrontation from dragging on longer.

"Gauron, it's time to get on with this. Hurry up."

A very clean cut individual, dressed in a suit and sunglasses, stood near one of the airliner's exits. The man confronting Souko glared at the newcomer for a moment, then released his hold on her and put his gun away before turning to his associates.

"These two are coming with me. Let's go."

The man in the sunglasses stared at the man named Gauron in surprise, as did the man's subordinates.

"What's with the other girl? I though we were only here for one of them."

Gauron shrugged his shoulders.

"She interests me. There's something about her that seems vaguely familiar. I'm sure I'll figure it out if I'm given enough time."

The man in the sunglasses looked at his associate for a moment, his expression unreadable.

"I already warned you about complicating the plan," he warned in a dangerous voice. Gauron just laughed.

"Don't worry, she won't be any trouble. If she gets to be an issue then..."

He made a sharp clicking noise with his tongue. The meaning of the gesture was obvious. Kaname -who was still being gripped by the arm- felt a shiver run down her spine. The man with the sunglasses continued to look at Gauron for a few moments, then conceded the point.

"Just hurry up. We don't have all day."

Gauron nodded.

"Right."

He turned to his underlings and released his grip on Kaname, apparently leaving her to their care.

"We're done here, so let's get going. I want to get away from all this worthless rabble."

With that, he began to walk towards the exit, not bothering to look back. Behind him, his associates quickly and efficiently organised themselves around Souko and Kaname, after which they began herding the two girls towards the exit. The rest of the Jindai students were silent as their compatriots were led away. They were too scared to say anything. As they neared the steps leading down from the aircraft, Souko placed a hand on Kaname's shoulder.

"Just stay calm," she advised her classmate, "You'll have a better chance of getting out of this alive if you keep your head on straight."

Kaname stared at Souko. How could she be so calm in a situation like the one they were in? It wasn't natural! Souko, meanwhile, was watching Gauron's back as he spoke with a Xinkain officer.

Gauron. So that was his name. She remembered it now, having heard his companions use it to refer to him in Yugoslavia. She'd never really gotten a chance to face him in anything more then a few short guerrilla actions, but she knew him to be a formidable foe.

_Gauron._

He'd make an interesting opponent.

Author's Note

In the FMP anime, the origins of the Khanka Autonomous region were not explained. In my fanfic, I gave the issue some thought and decided to go with the idea of it being formed out of the Chinese side of Xinkai lake (and likely some of the surrounding area as well) as fallout from the Chinese civil war that is part of FMP canon. Hence why I'm using the Chinese name (Xinkai) rather then the Russian one (Khanka) that was used in the anime.


	6. The Yugoslavian Connection

Disclaimer

Full Metal Panic! and its associated characters do not belong to me. Full Metal Panic! is copyright Shoji Gatoh.

Important Notice

I just want to make a couple notes that are relevant to this chapter regarding Yugoslavia: one is that FMP takes place in an alternate world, so I essentially gave the country an alternate history. Secondly, I should note that from what I've read the Serbian and Croatian languages are different but are considered mutually intelligible. Hence, I think it's reasonable for Souko to understand the Serbian spoken to her in the flashback scene.

Chapter Five:  
The Yugoslavian Connection

The air aboard the De Danaan seemed to be charged with electricity in the hours following the airliner hijacking.

Owing to its location in the Sea of Japan and its capabilities as a mobile base of operations, the massive assault submarine was one of the first assets Mithril deployed when the organisation received word of what was going on. It was surprising how swiftly the submarine had been ordered out. Almost as soon as the top brass received word of the incident the massive craft was on its way towards a position off the Soviet coast, its journey conducted almost entirely underwater. Only twice did the submarine surface –once to launch the helicopter that was sent to Tokyo to fetch Kurz and Mao, and once to recover it.

The Chief of the De Danaan's Intelligence Department saluted Tessa as she and Kalinin entered.

"Captain," he greeted his somewhat strained looking superior. Tessa managed to reply in a proper manner, but it took some effort. She was worried. Very worried.

"At ease, Lieutenant," the young Captain told her subordinate. A quick glance around the room showed the Lieutenant's small staff hard at work, pouring over the latest updates on the Xinkai Autonomous Region as well as anything else they felt was relevant to the matter at hand. Tessa turned back to the Department Chief.

"Have their been any new developments?" she asked. The Intelligence Chief shook his head.

"Not much. We've just received the latest satellite photos of the air base, but we haven't had time to do a thorough analysis of them yet. We're in the process of doing that now, and we'll forward our observations to the contingency planners as soon as that's complete."

Tessa nodded.

"Good. Do you have any clue as to who's behind the hijacking yet?"

The Intelligence Chief shook his head.

"No. Baxter is going through the airport security tapes, but we haven't had much luck yet, and as far as we know the hijackers haven't issued any demands."

Tessa exhaled slowly.

"I see."

As she spoke, Kalinin began moving among the analysts, checking in on what they were doing and asking an occasional question. Tessa lowered her voice.

"Do you think this incident has anything to do with Angel?" she asked. The Intelligence Chief shook his head.

"I don't know," he replied honestly. "There's a strong possibility that the two are connected, but at this point I don't have enough information to say whether or not there's any sort of definitive link between them."

Tessa studied the Intelligence Chief. She knew he wasn't telling her the whole story.

"What do your instincts tell you?" she asked.

The Intelligence Chief grimaced.

"They tell me that they're related," he replied. Tessa nodded.

"I see. That's my feeling too."

The two of them fell silent for a few moments as the work of the Intelligence Department continued around them.

"I guess all we can do for now it wait," Tessa said finally. "Wait, and stand ready."

She glanced around the Department once more, envying the people who worked in it. At times like this, they didn't have to sit around waiting for something to happen. They had a job to do.

From where he stood leaning over Baxter's computer terminal, Kalinin suddenly breathed in sharply.

"Run that one back a bit," he ordered, indicating one of the video feeds that was playing on the analyst's monitor. Baxter moved to comply with the command, and Kalinin watched for a few moments as the recording ran back.

"Stop. Zoom in on that man."

Kalinin indicated one of the figures in the picture. There were a few clicks as the orders were carried out, then dead calm. Tessa looked at Kalinin. He was staring at Baxter's screen, his eyes wide. Without warning a snarl appeared on his face.

"That's not possible," he growled. "That's just not possible. There's no way he could have survived that."

Tessa looked nervously at her subordinate as she and the Intelligence Chief came up behind him.

"What is it?" she asked. "What's wrong?"

Kalinin jabbed a finger at the monitor.

"That," he declared.

"What about that?" Tessa asked.

"That man is dead."

Tessa blinked.

"Dead? How do you know?"

"Because I killed him," Kalinin replied.

XXXXX

_Yugoslavia, several years prior…_

Souko was awakened by repeated prodding with a handgun.

Still groggy, the young guerrilla fighter opened her eyes and looked around. She was lying on the floor of a ramshackle old building, in a small, poorly lit room that was almost completely empty. There was a pair of handcuffs on her wrists, and her clothing was torn and bloodied in several spots, with stained bandages showing through some of them. She could feel an additional bandage on her cheek, where she'd been cut by a fragment from an enemy grenade. There was no sign of any of her weapons.

The man sitting next to her withdrew his pistol –though he did not go so far as to holster it- and spoke a few words in a language she didn't understand, thought it seemed almost as if she should. Souko just looked at him.

"I guess you are a local," he said in Serbian, "too bad. I was hoping you'd have an interesting story to tell."

Souko took a moment to study her captor. He was a rather rough looking man –probably a mercenary- dressed in a mixture of military and civilian clothing. He held a pistol in his hand and had a locally produced Kalashnikov variant resting on his lap. His hair was unkempt, and it looked like it had been some time since he had last shaved. His most distinctive features, however –at least from Souko's perspective- were those that marked him as a foreigner, and a very distinctive one at that. She wondered for a moment whether he too might be Japanese, but she felt little desire to ask him. He was, after all, an enemy.

The man glanced down at Souko, who glared at him in return.

"Are you going to say anything?" he asked.

Souko remained silent. The man casually pointed his pistol towards her head and deactivated the safety.

"You know, I could just shoot you."

"Do it," Souko replied shortly. The man laughed as he reactivated the safety.

"Maybe in a little while," he told her.

The room fell silent, allowing sounds from other parts of the building to filter in. The foreign mercenary grinned down at Souko.

"Those are my comrades out there. Most of them are local paramilitary types. They have some very nasty ideas about what to do with you."

Souko said nothing, which got her another prod from her captor's sidearm. When this too failed to provoke a reaction, he tried a different tack.

"It would probably be much better just to end it all now, don't you agree?"

Souko glared at the mercenary.

"Yes. But I'm not going to beg."

The man nodded slowly.

"I didn't think you would."

He smiled, knowing that his next words _would_ provoke a reaction.

"You and I are very much alike."

Souko's eyes flashed, and her expressionless face turned angry with a suddenness that would have shocked most people, though it didn't seem to affect her captor.

"I am_not_ like you!" she spat. "We may share the same homeland, but that means nothing! I am _not_ like you!"

The foreign mercenary continued to smile. He was neither fazed by her anger nor particularly concerned that she was mistaken about his nationality.

"Whether or not we share a homeland means nothing. The similarities between us have nothing to do with our flesh and blood. They have everything to do with the people that we are. You and I have one thing in common. We are not afraid to kill. We are also not afraid to be killed."

He laughed.

"It's a pity we have to meet as enemies. People like us are very rare. I would have loved a chance to mold you."

He raised his pistol again, and there was a click as he deactivated the safety.

"I am not doing this out of mercy. I am doing this because I see myself in you and I think your death should have a little dignity."

Souko did not flinch as the man aimed his weapon at her. Her gaze was steady as she stared down its barrel.

"Well?" she asked. "What are you waiting for?"

Her captor smiled.

"I just remembered that there's a man here I've always wanted to test."

As he spoke, Souko realised that she could hear footsteps coming towards the room. A moment later, a tall, silver haired man –whom Souko guessed was a Soviet advisor- appeared in the doorway. It took Souko only a few moments to recognise him –she'd wounded him during an ambush several months prior, and had been rather surprised when he'd shown up again earlier that day. He obviously had a formidable constitution.

The Russian announced his presence without hesitation, completely unaware of what he was walking in on.

"I've come to take the prisoner in. You are relie- What are you doing?!"

The smile on the foreign mercenary's face grew larger.

"Ah, Lieutenant, I'm so glad you could join us."

The Russian glared at the mercenary. His pistol was in his hand in a flash, barrel pointing right at the mercenary's head.

"What are you doing?" the Russian repeated, growling this time. His demeanour did not seem to intimidate the mercenary in the slightest.

"I'm about to shoot a prisoner in self defence. She attacked me and tried to strangle me."

The Russian eyed the scene from the doorway.

"It doesn't look like that's what happened."

"You wish it did though, don't you?"

The Russian's eyes narrowed as the mercenary spoke, his voice almost a purr.

"You don't want to turn her over to the local authorities. You know what's likely to happen to her if you do. You don't want to be party to such barbarity."

"I have my orders."

The mercenary's smile seemed knowing.

"You do, don't you? But you're reluctant to follow them. Your heart isn't in them. Deep down, you agree with my course of action. You think it would be best if the prisoner died here and now."

A hint of anger appeared on the Russian's face.

"I wouldn't be so sure of that."

"Oh?" The mercenary raised an eyebrow. "You'd rather hand her over to the local authorities? Who will do who knows what sort of nasty things to her?"

The Russian was in no mood to argue. His aim never wavered as he issued one final order to the mercenary.

"Put the gun away. Now."

The mercenary never stopped smiling as he moved his index finger away from its 'safe' position on the side of the pistol's frame.

A trigger was pulled. A hammer fell on a loaded chamber. The sound of a gunshot rang out in the confines of the darkened room.

XXXXX

Souko couldn't see much of anything as she and Kaname were transported across the tarmac of the Xinkain airfield in the back of one of the base's transport trucks. The two girls were seated side by side at the very front of the vehicle's cargo area, with a dense mass of armed men between them and the only possible escape route. A shield of green canvas hid them from the view of those outside. The only reassuring thing about the whole situation was that Gauron appeared to have taken a different vehicle.

Unable to think of any viable course of action other then waiting, Souko's mind drifted back to her last encounter with that man. Despite her superb mental discipline, the young soldier was still having trouble accepting that he was still alive. True, Kalinin had hauled her to her feet and led her away almost immediately after the shooting had occurred, but even so, she had rather vivid memories of seeing Gauron lying on the floor with blood running down his face. She was quite certain Kalinin had shot him in the head –or had been at any rate. Now she wasn't quite so sure.

_"You and I are very much alike."_

In retrospect, those words had probably held more truth then Souko had been willing to admit. Her days as a guerrilla fighter in Yugoslavia were not ones that she was particularly proud of. Despite what she'd told herself at the time, she was not much better then the people she fought, killing more to satisfy her thirst for revenge then for any sort of noble cause. Ironically, it had been Gauron's actions that had paved the way for her to see the light. Her and Kalinin both. Souko and her commanding officer had never really spoken much of the incident that brought them together, but the young soldier had the feeling that Gauron's words had prompted some serious soul-searching on the part of her former enemy.

There was a low pitched squealing noise as the transport truck's brakes were activated, and Souko could feel an ever so slight shift as the vehicle rolled gently to a stop. There was some movement near the back of the cargo area as a few of the occupants shifted position to get a better look at their surroundings, but no one made a move to disembark. Leaning back against the front of the cargo bed Souko glanced over at Kaname, who had been uncharacteristically silent since being led off the airliner.

The other girl was hunched over, her eyes on the floor and her long black hair partially obscuring her face. Despite everything she had been through, she did not seem frightened –she did not tremble, and there were no tears running down her face. She seemed more resigned then anything else, though Souko thought she detected some subtle signs of nervousness, which was understandable given the situation. Souko was feeling a little nervous herself.

Footsteps were heard outside, words were exchanged, and then Gauron appeared at the truck's tailgate, flanked by two of his associates. He motioned to the truck's occupants.

"The two girls will come with me now," he said, indicating Souko and Kaname. Moving carefully so as not to draw the ire of the truck's other occupants, Souko rose into a half crouch and took hold of Kaname's hand, leading the less agile girl through the narrow path cleared by their guardians. A slight drop to the ground, and the two of them were standing in front of the jeep-like base security vehicle that had been tailing the truck. The vehicle's crew paid the two girls little heed as they scanned the surrounding area. Gauron too spared them only the briefest of glances before turning and walking towards an inauspicious looking box truck -inauspicious looking, that was, except for the quartet of heavily armed Xinkain soldiers who stood guard over it. Whatever was in the vehicle, someone obviously didn't want people nosing around it too much.

With the hand of one of her escorts placed firmly on her shoulder, Souko followed Gauron up the portable staircase that had been set up at the back of the truck and into the vehicle's dimly lit interior. What she saw there surprised her.

The left wall of the vehicle mounted several LCD displays, as did the right wall. Storage lockers were scattered throughout the area, their contents hidden from view. In the centre of the room there rested a large glass-sided cylinder. Souko's eyes narrowed for a moment when she realised that cylinder –which looked to be some kind of machine- was just the right size to hold a human being.

_What are they doing here?_ the young mercenary wondered. Whatever it was, it wasn't taping a video for the media. Not unless it was a very strange video.

A woman in a white lab coat rose from a chair to greet Gauron.

"Are these my new test subjects?" she asked. "I thought I was only supposed to run the tests on one girl."

"You are. The other one just happened to pique my curiosity a little. I'm leaving her here until I have time to deal with her."

A flash of annoyance crossed the scientist's face.

"I'm not a babysitter," she informed Gauron. "I have work to do."

"So do I," Gauron countered. "I need to get ready in case there's any trouble coming our way."

"So you're passing her off to me?"

"Yes. Do you have a problem with that?"

The look Gauron gave the scientist told her that she better not. The scientist swallowed before replying in a haughty sounding voice.

"No. Just make sure she stays out of my way."

Gauron indicated his companions.

"These two gentleman will see to it that she doesn't cause you any trouble. You need someone to keep an eye on the locals anyway."

He turned to his comrades.

"I'll send someone over to relieve you in a few hours. Until then, I want you to keep an eye out for trouble. If you see anything, radio me at once."

The two men nodded to Gauron, who then turned and left the vehicle by the rear doors. Despite her mental discipline Souko felt tempted to let out a sigh of relief once he was gone. She had to remember that things were not over yet. In fact, they were just beginning.

XXXXX

Tessa stared at Kalinin as her subordinate's words sank in.

"You killed him? When? Why? How?"

A flurry of questions whirled through the young Captain's head. How could a dead man be alive? What did Kalinin know about the figure on the screen? Why was he so affected by the sight of him?

Still standing over Baxter's monitor, Kalinin took a moment to regain his composure. Denying the truth when it stood right before him was not the way a good soldier was supposed to act. If he couldn't come to terms with what he saw on the monitor then he wasn't fit to be in command.

Sighing, Kalinin turned to face Tessa.

"I assume you know the background of the current conflict in Yugoslavia, Captain?"

Tessa nodded. While it was outside of the De Danaan's usual theatre of operations, she was familiar with the general details of the events that had occurred in that trouble spot.

"Yes. Following Marshall Tito's death in 1980 long standing disputes between the country's different ethnic groups started to flare up and led to rapid destabilisation. The Serb-dominated central government was soon fighting against a variety of locally based independence movements, a situation that has persisted with varying levels of violence until the present day."

Kalinin eyed his commanding officer.

"And you know about the role played by the Soviet government?"

Tessa nodded again.

"Yes. They sent arms and advisors to the country, ostensibly as a gesture of support for another communist regime. In reality, their actions were motivated by a desire to gain political leverage with the country's new leadership following the years of strained relations they had experienced while Tito was alive."

This time it was Kalinin's turn to nod. He'd never spoken much of his experiences as a Soviet 'advisor' in Yugoslavia.

"Five years ago, I was on assignment as a Soviet advisor in the country. I was assigned to work with a government backed paramilitary unit operating in a primarily Croatian region of the country. One of the men under my command at the time was the man you see in that security image. He is a mercenary who goes by the name Gauron. I shot him in the head when he threatened to execute a prisoner in an impromptu fashion."

Kalinin looked down at the image on Baxter's monitor.

"I thought I'd killed him. I guess I was wrong. Perhaps it was only a glancing hit."

Tessa nodded. She could tell Kalinin was disappointed by his failure to kill the man.

"If he served under your command, is there anything you can tell us about him? Anything that might be useful for figuring out what is going on?"

Kalinin's face darkened.

"I can tell you this. That man is a ruthless killer, with no qualms about ending the life of anyone he comes across. He was involved in several brutal massacres prior to my meeting him. I can also tell you that that he is very skilled. Reckless, but highly skilled. He is not a run of the mill brigand, and he is not the sort who would fight for causes. If he is involved in the hijacking, I think we can rule out petty terrorism."

The silver haired Russian looked at both his Captain and the Intelligence Chief.

"You know what that implies about the situation we're facing, don't you?"

The Intelligence Chief looked like he was concentrating intently for a moment, then his eyes widened.

_"Oh shit…"_

Tessa glanced back and forth between her two subordinates, wondering what was going on.

"What is it?" she asked. "What's the problem?"

Kalinin looked down at his superior.

"Captain, if you were trying to kidnap someone like Angel, it would make sense to have a way to cover your tracks, wouldn't it?"

Tessa nodded.

"Yes it would. What are you saying?"

Kalinin eyed Tessa.

"If you were utterly ruthless, and had no qualms about slaughtering innocent people, what would be the simplest way of hiding the fact that you'd ever taken your target off the airliner?"

Tessa though about it for a moment, then her eyes also widened.

"Oh My God!" she breathed, "We have to do something!"

Kalinin nodded his head.

"I agree, Captain."

Tessa unconsciously began to toy with the end of her braid, a habit she had a tendency to partake in while under stress.

"Do you think there's any chance we'll be able to establish contact with our on site operative? Perhaps she can help us."

Kalinin sighed.

"I'm sorry Captain, but I'm afraid it would be best if we proceeded on the assumption that our on site operative is dead."

Tessa's eyes widened.

"What?!" she demanded.

Kalinin sighed and briefly explained Souko's role in the incident in Yugoslavia. Hearing what he had to say, Tessa felt like a gaping hole had been torn in her heart. Souko wasn't exactly the best person to discuss personal matters or the latest gossip with, but Tessa still felt like the young Arm Slave pilot was one of her few friends. They were the only people their age aboard the De Danaan. They'd each had experiences few could relate to, and missed ones that others took fore granted. Because of that, it seemed to Tessa that the two of them shared a bond. It seemed to her that they were comrades, even if one had never fired a shot in anger and the other had never sat in a ship's command chair.

"You think he recognised her then?" Tessa asked, eyes darting around the suddenly oppressive confines of the Intelligence Section. Part of her wanted to cry. Part of her wanted to scream. Part of her wanted to pour her heart out using any method available. But she couldn't do that. Not in front of her subordinates. She was their Captain. She had to maintain her composure.

If Kalinin shared Tessa's feelings about the possibility of Souko's death, then he gave no sign of it as he answered her question.

"It's impossible to say. Given the size of the airliner, Gauron may have missed our operative entirely, and even if he did see her there's a chance he wouldn't recognise her, as she's several years older now and the wound on her cheek hadn't had time to develop into a scar the last time he saw her. Nevertheless, there are two things that make me think he did recognise her. The first is that our field reports indicate that the operative developed a rapport of sorts with Angel, which would indicate that the two of them might have been in close proximity while they were aboard the aircraft. The second is that our operative has failed to check in with us. Given those factors, I think it would be best to base our plans on the assumption that our operative is dead, or at the very least incapacitated and unable to help us."

Tessa felt like her blood was boiling. She felt like she wanted to strangle Kalinin. The man was like a father to Souko, or at least the closest thing the young soldier had to such a figure. How could he talk about the possibility of her death in such a calm fashion? How could he stand there like nothing out of the ordinary had happened?

How could he be so callous?

The young submarine commander sighed inwardly. It was because he was fit for command, that was why. He was setting an example that she, as a Captain, should be following. Even if she didn't want to.

Tessa knew that some of Mithril's higher ups didn't think someone her age should be given the responsibility of commanding a submarine, regardless of whether or not she was the one that designed it. She also knew that there were times when she wholeheartedly agreed with them.

The young Captain nodded in agreement with Kalinin's analysis.

"I agree, Lieutenant Commander. Please begin making plans for a rescue operation. I will go inform the High Command of our findings and see what sort of support elements they can provide us with. Lieutenant, please focus your department's efforts on gathering intelligence that will be useful for planning an assault on that airfield."

Kalinin and the Intelligence Chief saluted, showing no hint of what they thought of her actions.

"Aye Captain. With your permission, I would also like to speak to Sergeant Weber and Sergeant Major Mao. The situation will likely require that they be informed of our findings, and I want to ensure that they are still capable of performing their duties under such circumstances."

Tessa nodded.

"Permission granted, Lieutenant Commander."

"Thank you, ma'am."

Kalinin stayed to have a few more words with the Intelligence Chief as Tessa left the room. The young Captain waited 'til she'd turned a corner in the hall, then stopped to lean against an exposed pipe, her face pressed up against the cool metal. She did not move again until she heard the sound of footsteps coming her way.

XXXXX

The glow of wall mounted LCD screens cast a dim light through the dark interior of the mobile laboratory. Confused as to what was going on, Kaname watched as the woman in the white lab coat moved from one set of controls to another, making occasional adjustments. Finally she stood back to survey the readouts in front of her.

"Alright, I think we're about ready to begin."

With that, the scientist walked over to a set of lockers, took out a key, and opened one of them. She then glanced back at the group standing against the opposite wall, her eyes surveying the two girls in the group and settling on Kaname.

"You are Kaname Chidori?" she asked.

Kaname nodded.

"Yes."

How did the scientist know her name? No one had mentioned it to her…

The scientist nodded and extracted something white from the locker.

"Alright."

She walked over to Kaname and placed the object on the glass cylinder.

"Strip," she ordered. Kaname cheeks went bright red.

"What?!"

The scientist paid little attention to the girl's outburst.

"You can keep your underwear on. When you're finished, I want you to dress in this."

She unfolded the white object, revealing it to be a rather skimpy medical gown. It took Kaname a few moments to get over her shock.

"But…"

"The two gentleman will wait outside while you change."

The one guard looked quizzically to the other, who shrugged. They had no desire to get in an argument, so they quickly extricated themselves to the platform behind the truck. The scientist looked at Kaname impatiently.

"Well?"

Kaname glanced nervously at Souko, wondering quite how she should put things. Souko saved her the trouble by politely turning her back. The scientist took note of this and commented on it.

"You're quite a shy one, aren't you? You might want to get over that soon. Modesty isn't going to serve you very well if the initial tests today prove successful."

"Initial tests?" Souko asked, suspicion clear in her voice. "What are you planning to do to her?"

The scientist shrugged her shoulders.

"Nothing much. We need her to watch a video and see how she reacts to some medications."

Souko's gaze, hidden from the scientist's view, was intense.

"What sort of medications? Will they harm her in any way?"

"No. She'll likely suffer from headaches and mild nausea, but nothing worse than that."

Souko nodded and let some of the tension flow out of her. She'd been ready to take the scientist hostage and try to use her as bargaining chip, but if the tests weren't likely to cause Kaname much harm, then it was best to wait for a better opportunity. It wouldn't do either of them much good to if she made her move too early.

Kaname changed garments in record time, worried that Souko might turn around at any moment. Her uncertainty regarding the other girl's preferences still caused her some anxiety. Thankfully Souko seemed to respect her privacy.

Once Kaname had finished folding her school uniform and stowing it in the plastic bin she was provided with, the guards were allowed back into the lab and the scientist provided her test subject with a plastic cup that held an odd light green liquid.

"Alright, I need you to drink this. It's necessary for the tests we're about to perform."

Kaname eyed the liquid warily, imagining it to be something horrible, but found it to be nearly tasteless when she actually drank it. Souko too, had some concerns about the liquid. She wished she'd been able to see the scientist's face when she'd answered her questions. It might have eased her concern that the woman might have been lying.

When Kaname had finished ingesting the 'medication' she'd been given, she was instructed to lay in the cylinder in the centre of the room, whose glass front slid aside to allow her entry, and to put on a strange visor, which appeared to contain some sort of screen.

"You may as well get comfortable," the scientist told the Jindai student. "This could take a while."

There was a hissing noise as the glass slid into place above Kaname, and then a strange series of images began to play.

XXXXX

Kurz and Mao found someone waiting for them when they disembarked their transport helicopter in the De Danaan's hangar bay.

His expression as cold as ever, Lieutenant Commander Kalinin stood on the deck as the two SRT members descended from the MH-67 Pave Mare that had brought them from Tokyo and snapped off a crisp pair of salutes.

"Sergeant Major Mao and Sergeant Kurz Weber, reporting for duty sir."

Kalinin looked at the two of them, then spoke in a grave voice.

"I need to speak with you two."

Mao blinked.

"Sir?"

Kalinin quickly filled the two of them in on the situation with Souko. By the time he finished their expressions were grim.

"The thing I need to know," Kalinin told his subordinates as he eyed them with a steely gaze, "Is whether or not I can trust you to perform your duties properly under such circumstances."

The implications of his words were clear: there were to be no reckless acts of retribution. No abandoning of mission objectives to rush off in a frantic search for their missing comrade. He expected them to perform their duties properly, and he expected them to perform them at their best. Otherwise he would find other Arm Slave pilots to replace them for this mission, even if those pilots were less skilled. Kurz and Mao looked at each other for a moment before answering.

"Aye sir."

The first response was from Mao.

"Aye sir."

The second response was from Kurz, who was uncharacteristically subdued. Kalinin studied the two of them for a moment, his gaze seeming to pierce them to the very depths of their souls.

"You are sure of that?"

Mao nodded.

"Yes sir."

There was a pause for a moment.

"Kurz?"

The blonde sharpshooter's face was sullen.

"Yes sir."

Kalinin eyed the young man for a few more moments, then nodded.

"Good. Your briefing is in fifteen minutes."

Mao nodded her head, barely trusting herself to speak.

"Aye sir," she said quietly.

Kalinin turned and walked slowly across the hangar bay, finally disappearing through one of the exit doors. That left Kurz and Mao standing alone among the bustle of the maintenance personnel's pre sortie preparations.

"I feel like a bully just beat up my kid sister," Kurz said finally, in a quiet voice that contained no trace of his usual humour. Mao nodded in agreement. For all the lewd jokes Kurz might have made about Souko, he truly did think of the young soldier as being like a younger sister. There was a reason he'd never tried to pull the moves on her the way he had with older Mithril women like Melissa.

"I know. I feel the same way."

Kurz shook his head.

"She's survived so many things. I can't believe she'd fall to something as simple as one stupid mercenary."

"It's often the little things that get people."

"Yeah, but this is Souko we're talking about here. The angel of death. The goddess of destruction. The girl who fights like a demon whether she's on foot or in the cockpit of a M9. Am I supposed to believe that she fell victim to one guy?"

Mao smiled slightly.

"It is a little hard to believe, isn't it?"

Kurz nodded.

"Damn straight. I'll believe that girl is dead when I see her body. And maybe not even then."

The smile on Mao's face grew into a grin.

"Hey Kurz?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks. I really needed that."

Kurz grinned and was about to say "No Problem" when he thought of something better to say.

"It's not a problem."

Their spirits much higher then they had been at any other point since they'd first received word of the airliner hijacking, the two of them shouldered their bags and made their way towards one of the hangar exits.

XXXXX

Flanked on both sides by the guards Gauron had left to keep an eye on her, Souko watched and waited as the scientist carried out her tests upon Kaname.

Hours passed. Kaname's chest slowly rose and fell with her breathing. A new pair of guards –these ones armed with rifles- arrived to take over from the first pair. Kaname was allowed a short reprieve from the testing and reported that she felt "pretty bad." Souko considered taking action when the scientist informed her friend that they needed to continue, but decided against it. Kaname might suffer some because of her inaction, but it wouldn't do either of them any good for Souko to be too rash.

Seated in front of a bank of monitors on the side of Kaname opposite the one Souko and the guards were on, the scientist checked some readouts, then sighed. She seemed irritated. Was it because the results were not what she was looking for, or was it because she was impatient? Souko guessed it might be the latter.

After a while, the white lab coated woman turned to Souko.

"You. Kaname's friend. Come over here."

Souko glanced at one of her guards, then complied with the scientist's command, making her way around the glass cylinder to stand in front of her chair.

"What's your name?" the scientist asked.

Souko considered for a moment. Part of her thought it would be a good idea to make up a name, but she wasn't sure how much Kaname was aware of what was going on around her, and she didn't want the other girl to say something that might cast doubt on what she herself was about to say.

"Souko," she replied after an imperceptible pause. The scientist rose from her chair and walked a few steps towards the rear of the vehicle before turning around again.

"Sit down Souko," she ordered. Souko did as she was told, carefully lowering herself into the seat the scientist had vacated. She might not be very socially adept, but she knew better than to raise the suspicions of the guards by acting too confident.

The scientist looked over at Kaname, who had barely moved at all since the testing had resumed.

"Did you know that your friend has the potential to radically alter the balance of power in the world?" the scientist asked. Her words drew a sharp response from one of the guards.

"What are you doing?" he demanded. The scientist shrugged.

"I'm just having a little chat with this girl here."

"You shouldn't be telling her anything."

The scientist snorted contemptuously.

"Why not? It's not like she's going to get the chance to tell anyone about what we're doing here."

The two guards looked at each other. The one who had not spoken shrugged to the one who had. They'd report the scientists' behaviour to Gauron when they were relieved from duty. Until then, they'd let the issue slide. The scientist ignored them as she turned back to Souko.

"Well, young lady, did you know that?"

Souko shook her head.

"No, I'm afraid not."

It would explain why she'd been assigned to protect Kaname, however. Unaware of Souko's thoughts, the scientist nodded and continued in an arrogant tone.

"I didn't think you would. You wouldn't know anything about the Whispered."

Souko blinked.

"Whispered?"

"Yes. Whispered. A small group of people who are born with an intrinsic knowledge of Black Technology. Your friend might be one of them, even though she doesn't know it yet."

The scientist's words were beginning to pique Souko's interest. As ridiculous as they sounded, they just might shine a light on the motives of Kaname's kidnappers.

"Black Technology?"

"Yes. Technology far beyond the reach of ordinary science. It can only be obtained from the minds of the Whispered. It's already been used to develop Palladium reactors and the artificial muscles used in Arm Slaves, but that sort of thing only scratches the surface of what the new science is capable of. It's capable of far more. With enough development, it could render nuclear weapons meaningless."

Souko stared at the scientist. What the woman said seemed impossible, yet it would explain so many things. It would explain the rapid maturation of the Arm Slave as a weapons system. It would explain the advanced power plant of the M9 and the propulsion system of the TDD-1. It would explain why she had been assigned to protect Kaname. Souko looked over at her companion and saw her as if with new eyes.

Unbidden, Souko's mind recalled a memory from a recent mission. The USSR. A snow covered wasteland near the city of Khabarovsk. Her and her teammates in a race against time to find a pair of fugitives before it was too late. The mission had many professionally notable moments –including an up close and personal battle with an attack helicopter- but the memory that came to mind was that of a frightened girl with red hair, dressed in a fashion that reminded Souko of how Kaname was dressed right then. The girl was bleeding from wounds she'd suffered when she'd been throw from a vehicle and shivering in the bitter cold, but she had shrunk back from Souko's approach, eyes wide with fear. Those eyes had not looked human. They had looked like something that belonged to a frightened animal.

_Could that girl have been a Whispered?_ Souko wondered. If what the scientist said was true, then such an explanation would make a lot of sense. And if Kaname was also a Whispered, then could she end up like that girl –an empty shell of a human being, wide-eyed with terror and on the very brink of losing her sanity? Looking at her lying in the test machine, dressed in that medical gown, the possibility seemed all too real.

As had happened earlier aboard the airliner, a sudden blaze of anger flared up from deep within Souko's soul. Memories of her brief time with Kaname –particularly memories of the kindness the other girl had shown her -flashed through the young soldier's head as she imagined what her friend might look like if she had eyes like those of the girl in Khabarovsk. The image she saw in her mind made her determined not to let her classmate suffer that fate.

The new fire was suppressed so quickly the guards never saw a hint of it on Souko's face, but –like its predecessor- it left hot embers lurking beneath the ash.

XXXXX

The interior of Tessa's quarters aboard the De Danaan was shrouded in darkness as the young Captain lay on her bed, her thoughts bleak. Officially, the reason she had temporarily handed command of the submarine over to Commander Mardukas was that she wanted to get some rest before the De Danaan had to commence combat operations. Unofficially, the reason was that she needed to be alone for a while.

_Maybe I should just hand control of this operation over to him completely,_ Tessa had thought to herself at one point. It had been a tempting course of action. Unfortunately, it was also one that would brand her unfit for command. It would mean giving up her ship, her crew, and her pride. Part of her –the part that hated holding other people's fates in her hands- wouldn't have minded that. The other part however –the part that had been stung by her seeming inferiority to her brother Leonard- refused to accept that course of action. It was a matter of principle. Teletha Testarossa might admit that she was uncertain about her fitness to command while in private. She would never do it while in public.

Which left her with a problem on her hands. She knew she needed to make herself fit for command again. What she didn't know was how to do that.

There was a buzzing noise from the room's intercom, indicating that someone was at the door. Tessa tried to ignore it, but it was quickly followed by a second buzz. Obviously whoever it was knew she was there.

Tessa rose from her bed and made her way over to the comm panel.

"Yes?" she asked. Melissa's voice answered.

"Hi Tessa, it's me. May I come in?"

Tessa considered. She wasn't in a good state to receive visitors. If anyone saw her face it would be quite obvious that she had been crying. She sighed.

"Just give me a minute," she replied. She needed time to make herself presentable. Hopefully Melissa would buy her excuse that she'd been resting and assume that she'd needed the time to get dressed.

Ducking into her cabin's cramped lavatory, Tessa washed her face and straightened her uniform before taking a good look at herself in the mirror. When she did, she saw that any attempt to deceive Melissa would be a lost cause. There was no way her friend could miss the signs of how upset she'd been.

Grimacing, Tessa made her way over to her cabin door and opened it. She did her best not to appear too dejected when she saw Melissa standing in the hallway in her SRT uniform, but she could hardly help looking downcast. Not when she was trying to keep her friend from getting a look at her face.

"Hi," Mao greeted her quietly.

"Hi," Tessa replied just as quietly.

She stepped aside so that Melissa could enter.

"Don't you need to be getting ready for the upcoming mission?" she asked.

Mao nodded as she stepped in and stood near the door.

"Yes, but I have a few minutes, and I thought this was important. I know how much Souko means to you."

Tessa didn't answer, she just stood there, eyes on the deck.

"You're worried about her, aren't you?" Mao asked. Tessa nodded slowly.

"Yeah. I'm worried about her."

_So much so that I'm worried about whether I'm still fit to do my job._

Mao smiled.

"That's okay. I am too."

Tessa was so shocked by that statement that she forgot all about trying to hide her face. One moment she was looking at the deck, the next she was staring up at Melissa and blinking in surprise.

"You are?" she asked.

Mao nodded.

"Yeah. So much so that my stomach is starting to feel queasy. I don't know what I'm going to find when I go out there today."

That statement shocked Tessa. The part about Melissa being uncertain of what she was going to find was something the young Captain could understand. But that bit about feeling queasy? Melissa _never_ felt queasy before a mission! Not even the ones that were dangerous enough to earn her sizeable bonuses.

"Are you certain you should still go?" Tessa asked. "I'm sure one of the other SRT members could fill your spot on the mission roster if you're not feeling up to this."

Mao shook her head. Unlike Tessa, she could probably escape from the coming operation without too many consequences, but she had no intention of doing that. Souko's fate was much too important to her for her not to go.

"No. I need to do this. I might be scared of what I'm going to find when I go out there today, but I need to see it for myself. Besides, I'm not about to turn my back on Souko if there's a chance that she's still alive."

Tessa looked at Melissa.

"Do you think there's a chance?" she asked softly.

Melissa nodded solemnly.

"If anyone stands a chance, its Souko. That girl has beat some amazing odds in the past. I wouldn't be surprised if she can do it again."

The Sergeant Major smiled suddenly.

"Let me tell you something Weber told me that I found helped a little. He said 'I'll believe that girl's dead when I see her body. And maybe not even then.'"

At that, Tessa couldn't help but grin weakly. That was her friend, all right. If there was one thing Souko was good at, it was surviving. She was, as Mao might say "A real b---- to kill."

Mao watched as the grin appeared on Tessa's face.

"Feeling better?" she asked.

"A little," Tessa replied. Mao looked at her watch. She really needed to be going soon, but she intended to wrap things up before she left.

"If Souko's alive out there, you can sure as hell be certain that she's doing her job, and that she's expecting us to do the same. We're her comrades and her superiors. It's our job to make sure we do everything we can for her."

Tessa nodded once, her jaw set as she took up an expression of steely determination. Souko needed her help. Souko was her friend. She was also her subordinate. As her Captain, she could not simply abandon her. The other girl might not be alive, but as long as there was a chance that she still was, then there was no way Tessa could let her down!

"We will," she said softly, but with absolute certainty. Mao smiled.

"Looks like you're ready to command again, Captain."

Tessa nodded her head.

"Yes. Thank you for your help, Sergeant Major."

"It's my pleasure, ma'am. I'm afraid I must be leaving though. I need to do some pre-mission checks on my M9."

Tessa nodded again.

"Good luck, Sergeant Major."

Mao saluted crisply.

"Good luck, Captain."

With that, Melissa turned and left the room at a brisk walk. Behind her, Tessa smiled as she felt a new confidence grow inside her, a confidence that seemed to spread outwards until it had encompassed her entire being.

She would do her job, and she would do it well.

Striding over to her closet, Tessa removed a fresh uniform, then proceeded to the lavatory to take a shower. She'd use what time she had left in her rest period to make herself presentable.

Forty minutes before the first wave of the strike force was to be launched, the De Danaan's Captain strode briskly onto the submarine's bridge, her uniform so neat she looked as if she was about to receive Mithril's top brass. Commander Mardukas rose from the submarine's command chair and saluted.

"Captain."

Tessa nodded to him.

"At ease, Commander. What's our status?"

"We're on schedule, Captain. All systems are normal."

Tessa lowered herself into her chair.

"Very good, Commander. I will be resuming command now."

Mardukas nodded.

"Aye ma'am."

Tessa glanced at the De Danaan's event timer. Thirty nine minutes, twenty four seconds until launch. A small smile crept onto her face.

_Hold on Souko. We're coming to help you._

XXXXX

Lying on her back in the cylindrical confines of the glass sided test machine, Kaname Chidori was beginning to show signs of strain.

At first, the testing hadn't seemed that bad, though it was a little on the strange side. Words and symbols swam slowly through her mind, but that wasn't a problem for her –she could deal with that. What she couldn't deal with was the pressure that accompanied it. Small at first, but growing steadily, that pressure increased to the point where she could no longer take it and was forced to squeeze her eyes shut in an effort to clear her head. It did her little good however. She knew that the moment she opened her eyes the symbols would be back, and that if she continued to view them the pressing would increase until she went mad. She had to do something. She had to make the symbols stop.

Having been returned to the custody of the two guards after her conversation with the irritated scientist, Souko observed her classmate's situation with growing concern. She might not be getting a good look at Kaname's face, but the increasing pace of the other girl's breathing –in which sharp intakes of air now replaced the slow and steady inhale and exhale that had previously been present- told her that something was not as it should have been. She was about to inform the inattentive researcher of what she was seeing when Kaname decided to take the matter up herself.

"Stop it!" she suddenly yelled, pounding her fists against the inside of the cylinder. "Stop it! Let me out of here! I'm going insane!"

The scientist looked up from the status monitors with an annoyed look on her face.

"Pay attention to the images!" she commanded. Kaname ignored her and continued to pound the glass.

"No! I can't take this anymore! Let me out of here!"

Grabbing hold of the visor she wore, Kaname tore it off, revealing eyes that looked slightly wild. The scientist exhaled slowly and looked over at the men who were guarding Souko.

"Looks like the brat is going to need to be pacified. Can one of you gentleman restrain her for me?"

The shorter of the two guards nodded his head and stepped forward, leaving his rifle leaning against the wall as he did so. His companion placed a firm hand on Souko's shoulder as a warning against trying to interfere.

The scientist touched some controls on the cylinder, and the glass panels that formed the front of the machine slid open. Almost instantly Kaname was sitting upright and swinging her legs over the side, intending to get to her feet before the guard had a chance to restrain her. She'd obviously underestimated the man though, because he had no difficulty flipping her onto her stomach and pinning her arms behind her back. Whatever else one could say about the guard, he obviously knew his stuff, as was to be expected from a man hired to carry out an operation as delicate as the one he was involved in.

Her charge now suitably restrained, the scientist walked over to one of the equipment lockers and removed a vial and a large syringe, which she filled with a considerable quantity of the unknown liquid that the vial contained. It was completely clear, without a trace of colour, but in a way that seemed to make it even more sinister, as it gave no hint as to the nature of its composition. Turning to face Kaname as she loaded her syringe, the scientist smirked.

"I wasn't planning to use this drug while we were still testing you," she informed the frightened girl. "It's got some fairly nasty side effects. It's your own fault that I'm having to use it though. I was trying to be nice, but you didn't co-operate."

Even from her position behind Kaname and the man who was restraining her, Souko could tell that her classmate was quivering with fear. She was also trying to struggle, but there was very little an untrained person like her could do against an expert who had her pinned the way the guard did. As she watched the scene unfold from her position near the wall, Souko forced herself to relax, and was rewarded by a slight loosening of the grip on her shoulder. A single though flashed through her mind.

_Now._

Taking a single step forward in the cramped confines of the lab, Souko raised her arm and swung it backwards with all her might, aiming straight for the unprotected chest of the man behind her. The time for restraint was over. The time for action was about to begin.


End file.
